Sacrifice
by Fatherfail
Summary: The kingdom of Fiore has been overrun by a tyrant. It is up to Amose Keel, a blacksmith's apprentice with a closely guarded secret, Natsu Dragneel, a murderer accused of high treason and the deaths of thousands. They are joined by those who have chosen a life without corruption and oppression. AU and OC. Submit characters please and review if you like it. Sort of dark. NaLu
1. Sacrifice

**So, I remember saying that I would not upload a new story until Dragon Myth was finished, but I lied. Summer has had the exact opposite effect on me. I'm more lazy now and I have not felt any inspiration. Anyways, here is the story!**

**I am accepting OCs so feel free to send them to me by any means necessary! This is an AU story and all the important details will be explained in the prologue! Thanks, and please review! Enjoy.**

"_The world is now a dark place. It is gritty and cruel. It does not forgive failure and it kills those who do not conform to its beliefs. However, this world was not always this way. This world used to be far greater than the current world. The old world had hopes for the future, but they were crushed by the foolish actions of one man: Natsu Dragneel._

_It was he who turned the Watch of Time! It was he who gave into the temptation of the darkness! The lives of millions have been taken away because of his foolishness! There is no future for this kind of world. The world will become stagnant and it will waste away under the oppression we now face. Whatever it takes, the world must change, and soon." – Chief Editor of the Fiore Daily (executed)_

These words were true. The world had changed rapidly and it was not a good change. The skies darkened, ash rained from the sky, entire villages disappeared off the face of the earth, and worst of all, people lost their freedom. History had been rewritten by a fool who had tried to turn back time and bring back his beloved. Now, the people of Fiore were ruled over by a tyrant, Julius Silence. Under his oppression Fiore had turned struggled to survive. Many cities were ruins of what they had once been and only the capitol of Crocus was truly beautiful. However, there was hope. Outside of Fiore were many tribes, living their own way of life. The tribes were small, but they held onto their way of life. These tribes paid tribute to Fiore, the kingdom that held the largest piece of land.

There had been a peace among the tribes and Fiore, but that peace was about to be shattered by the ambition of a tyrannical king.

**Crocus, the Wizard's Palace**

It was early in the morning in the capitol of Fiore, Crocus. The soft sunlight shone over the incredible marble buildings located throughout the city. The kingdom's richest people lived here, enjoying all sorts of luxury. Beyond the gates of the capitol, were what the people of Crocus called "uncivilized land". The city itself was beautiful, but it was the Wizard's Palace that gave the city such a legendary status.

The palace had once been a tiny hut that a wizard once lived in. According to legend, the wizard grew so powerful over his long life that he was able to acquire great power and eventually made himself the king of the surrounding land. Nobody could challenge his power, so they submitted to his rule. The hut grew into a magnificent palace over the years, made of white marble. It was in this magnificent palace that the king and his generals took care of their work.

The days were supposed to be peaceful since the Dark Days, but the work of an ambitious man always results in death and destruction.

"Aha! Hello there! Please, take a seat at the table! I made breakfast myself!"

The sleepy figures of many armored and decorated individuals filled the dining hall. It was much too early to do anything productive, but it was King Julius' style to conclude all work in the early morning. The dining hall was filled up by a long table piled high with food. The sunlight eliminated the need for candles and torches so the group of individuals ate in the daylight. On the walls stood huge portraits of previous kings and queens, the current king's portrait located at the head of the table where an elaborately carved chair sat.

The king observed his most trusted generals and officials with a keen eye. He placed loyalty to the crown above all else and he had the incredible ability of telling if someone was disloyal or not. The king smiled slightly as he saw the scene before him. Breakfast was fine, but he had important matters to finish up before anything else happened. The king reached into his robe and pulled out a small piece of a yellowed map and looked at it with his dark brown eyes. It was of the tribe, Ostia. Reassured by the piece of map paper, the king stood up and clapped his hands.

Immediately all eyes went to the king. Julius smiled as he sat back down, all eating and discussion stopped. The air was tense as the king looked across the table. He nodded in satisfaction and sat back in his chair and brought his hands together.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, today is the day of my greatest plan for this magnificent country! I propose that we cleanse the barbarian tribes that lie outside of our borders."

…

Colonel Wendy had to admit the king was handsome. Everybody knew the king was out of bounds for courtship, but still. She was honestly surprised that she had been invited to such a meeting so early in the morning. She had recently been promoted and had never seen the king before. But seeing him stand just a few feet from her, wearing his sleepwear of green silk and red silk scarves, he was incredible. The king composed himself in a manner that as almost godlike. His black hair was perfectly parted and his eyes were warm as he spoke to the guests. Wendy sucked in a breath. Would the king be delivering some sort of speech?

"…I propose that we cleanse the barbarian tribes that lie outside of our borders."

That shattered the silence and Wendy's ears were instantly filled with the voices of at least a dozen people all clamoring at once. Some were voices of disapproval, some were absolutely thrilled with the idea. Colonel Wendy herself was a bit conflicted. She shrank into her seat, feeling out of place while the king simply sat in his seat, hands together and taking in the opinions of all those at the meeting. However, one voice caught the attention of the king.

"That is genocide!"

The talking almost instantly died down at the sound of outrage that came from a huge man in full armor. He was tall, ginger haired, and had muscles twice the size of the strongest man Wendy had ever seen. His face was twisted in disapproval as the king turned towards the huge man in armor.

"General Gildartz, what is your issue with the topic to call it 'genocide'?" the king asked as he leaned forward in his seat, seeming eager to hear his response.

The general clenched his fists and grit his teeth as he faced the king, his gaze fierce. All the other guests had grown quiet as the huge man spoke, the general obviously trying to control himself.

"The barbarians are human beings too, your excellency! Cleansing them would be genocide! These people have women and children as well! Killing them is an act of genocide! We can not simply kill them all of just because of conflicts in the past or whatever grudge your excellency holds for them!" the general explained, getting nods from a few of the guests.

Another guest stood up, fists clenched as well. It was a woman, blue hair tied in a ponytail, and wearing light armor. She seemed to be angry as well, pointing a finger directly at the king.

"I may not always agree with Gildartz, but I have another complaint as well! Our battalion may not be able to handle stuff like this! Sure, burning down a village or two is not as bad as it sounds, but killing of an entire tribe of people in one go? That would severely traumatize our soldiers!" the blue haired woman shouted angrily, getting a few more nods from the guests.

The king nodded his head to the two opinions and finally looked at Gildartz, a gleam in the king's dark brown eyes. Wendy peaked over at the king, not wanting to draw attention to herself as she had never spoken with royalty or anything of the sort. Also, she was afraid the king would uncover her tribal heritage. She was afraid of what might happen if she spoke out against the king.

"Gildartz, my old friend, does this make your hardened soul soften? You have braved many battles and have killed many people to defend this country, and you have proven yourself to be a mighty warrior. Because of this, I am putting you on the frontlines of the cleansing. Congratulations!" the king said as everyone began clapping uneasily.

The king turned his eyes to the blue haired woman and they narrowed. The blue haired woman didn't even flinch as the king started to speak.

"It is strange to hear you speaking out against me, General Levy. You were one of my greatest supporters during my bid for the throne. However, on your issue with the soldiers' sanity, you are a general of the Fairy Tail Battalion! You are the most elite soldiers of the entire kingdom. If you can not handle trauma like this, how can you call yourself one of the elite? Surely your battalion is the most efficient battalion of the entire army? Can you not protect your title as a member of the elite in the face of such a trivial task?" the king asked, his voice smooth and sweet like honey.

General Levy seemed to be defeated by the king's words and just grunted as she sat back down along with Gildartz. The king nodded and clapped his hands again, all the other guests rising. Wendy didn't dare look at the king as she stood.

"That concludes our business for the entire day. It begins in the next few hours so please do get ready."

And with that, the guests left the dining room, ordered to carry out genocide against several tribes of people.

**Ostian Primary Settlement, a few hours later**

Ostia was one of the tribes that lay outside of Fiore's borders. They were a large tribe with over thirty thousand members. Amose Keel was one of them. He was a blacksmith's apprentice and he lived near the chieftain's house. Currently, Amose was sitting outside of his workshop, staking a break from working. The blacksmith's shop was not exactly the biggest building in the settlement, but it was like home for Amose. Amose was enjoying his break and he waved to some of his friends passing by.

The settlement was home to a large number of Ostians and they were all taken care of by the chieftain, Macao. Amose sighed as he thought about when he would be finally be able to take his own apprentice. He was seventeen, a year below the age when he became a man. He was well built from working in the blacksmith's shop, had short brown hair, and dark brown eyes like everybody else.

"Hey Amose. Hello?"

Amose snapped out of his daydream. He almost fell off the chair he was sitting on when he saw the face of his best friend, Romeo. The black haired boy laughed at Amose's surprise and Amose rubbed his head.

"Come on, Romeo. You know that's not funny." complained Amose as Romeo helped him stand.

"Yeah, I know. I just can't help it because you always space out." laughed Romeo.

Amose was about to counter when suddenly a member of their tribe ran past, looking frantic. He waved the two of to him and pointed towards the meeting area for the settlement. The man looked frightened as he spoke to Romeo and Amose.

"Romeo, your father is down by the meeting area with a few others! Something is happening at the meeting area with some outsiders and I don't like it! Hurry!" shouted the man as he ran towards the meeting area.

Romeo and Amose looked at each other and shrugged. Surely there couldn't be anything serious happening? The two friends took off running after the man, hoping nothing bad was about to happen.

**Meeting Area**

A group of people had made a semicircle around the entrance to the settlement. Romeo and Amose managed to push through the group of people to see that Macao was at the head of the semicircle in a furious argument with a woman with blue hair tied into a ponytail. She was accompanied by several soldiers wearing armor and carrying swords in scabbards. The woman was armored as well, but not as heavily.

"I am commanding you to leave this settlement!" shouted Macao as the people behind him echoed his words.

The blue woman just smirked and shook her head. The soldiers behind her chuckled.

"You have no authority over me. Your land belongs to us now. You all are to be exterminated in the name of his excellency and the honor of the Fairy Tail battalion!" snarled the woman as the soldiers drew swords, charging into the crowd, cutting through the crowd.

Screams filled the air as the unarmed civilians started to run. Macao and Romeo ran directly into the fray, ready to defend their people. Amose ran. He was no warrior. He was a blacksmith's apprentice for crying out loud! So he ran back to the shop, grabbing a hammer for protection. It wasn't long until he heard the sounds of someone walking into the store. Amose remained hidden in the backroom, trying not to breath. The sounds left the shop, and Amose peaked from around the corner to see a single soldier standing in front of the shop, back turned.

That was when rage overtook Amose. He saw several buildings on fire and people were being chased through the streets, being cut down! He gripped the hammer tightly and he silently made his way towards the front of the store. When he was close enough, he swung the hammer into the soldier's helmet, the metal helmet being crushed under the force of the powerful hammer. Blood spilled onto the floor as Amose fell onto the ground at the sight of the dead soldier lying in front of him. The hammer was thrown away as Amose cried out from the ground. He had just killed someone!

"Romeo! Macao! Somebody help me, please!" Amose cried out as he struggled to stand, trying to be calm.

He saw several soldiers point towards him and Amose was instantly struck with fear. Had they seen him kill their comrade? Amose took off running, struggling to keep his emotions from overtaking him.

"It wasn't me! I didn't do it!" wailed Amose as he ran from the settlement, eventually encountering thick woods.

The blacksmith's apprentice continued to run, trying to ignore the mental wound he had just inflicted upon himself. He was now a murderer. The thick woods were dark and scary and Amose felt like his sanity was being torn apart when he turned in a new direction, tripped on a root and fell down a slight drop. Amose lay there for what seemed like a few hours and just cried. While he was crying, he heard something moving in the dark woods. Amose started to become scared again. What was it? A bear, a wolf, a soldier ready to cut his head off? Amose decided to scream at the top of his lungs, losing control.

"Stay back whatever you are! I'm a murderer!" screamed Amose, desperate to be left alone and safe.

There was a slight chuckle and then a voice from the dark woods.

"Well, then we have a lot in common. I'm a murderer too. You might know me, Natsu Dragneel ring any bells?"

**There you go. This was the first chapter of my next big project. If you find this interesting, review, send in OCs, favorite, alert, whatever you want to do. I hope you enjoyed this and please send in an OC if you want. See you all next time! FF**


	2. Ambition

**I was surprised with the response I got with the first chapter. Anyways, here is the second chapter for you guys! I hope you like it! Sorry for the lack of OCs in this chapter. OCs will appear next chapter and so far I have chosen 3 OCs. If you have already sent in an OC, feel free to send in more. Also, if you just started reading the story, send in an OC if you want. Enjoy.**

It was nighttime. The lights of Crocus were going out one by one. The streetlamps started up, casting warm glows over the smooth stone streets and cast shadows against shop windows. The city grew quiet, uninterrupted besides the sounds of insects chirping. The Wizard's Palace stood in the background of the dark city, imposing even when covered in shadow. It was just a normal night. The day had come and gone and it was now time for rest. However, one man could not afford to rest. He had to be attentive at all times. He could not afford to rest. His dreams were about to come true.

Julius looked out the window at the city, taking in the scene. Night had enveloped everything but the glow streetlamps. Night had even enveloped the room for the room was dark besides the light of the moon shining into the room where the king stood. The day had been successful to Julius' knowledge. He had successfully presented the idea of tribal genocide to his most trusted generals and officials. He was so close to wiping out the vermin that plagued the land, yet, he felt like something was holding him back. Julius stood there, in the pale moonlight, dressed in his green silk and red silk scarves, wondering about what dared to stand in his way. The king's thoughts were interrupted as the door to the room opened and light flooded into the room. Julius shielded his eyes from the light and grit his teeth. The door was shut and the light quickly vanished from the room. Julius' eyes narrowed as he looked at who had interrupted him.

It was a palace slave, holding onto a saucer with a teacup on it. She was trembling and was keeping her head down. The king was confused at the sight of the palace slave. He had ordered no tea, and yet this blonde palace slave dares to enter? Julius rubbed his temples in frustration. Lack of sleep had made him irritable, especially at night when sleep was so near. He looked at the blonde palace slave and glared.

"Who told you to interrupt me!" he demanded, the palace slave trembling even more.

"S-someone said that your e-excellency w-wanted some tea s-so I t-thought…" explained the slave timidly.

Julius remained silent for a time, thinking this over. Nobody had the authority to order tea for the king besides the king himself. However did this would pay the price. Julius held out his hand, the slave looking up at him slightly and then back down again.

"Hand the tea to me, and tell me your name. I don't think I have seen you around before." said Julius coolly as the slave handed the tea to him and bowed.

"My name is Lucy Heartfilia, your excellency." said the slave quietly.

Julius nodded and sent the slave away, wincing as the light struck his eyes. However, when the door opened, two individuals entered the room, blocking out the light for a short moment. Julius saw the slave bow to the two, indicating high rank. The door closed and Julius' eyes fell onto the two who had entered.

"Hmm, a strange pair to enter my room so late at night. Tell me, which one of you ordered the tea for me?" Julius asked as he turned back towards the window.

A man stepped forward and Julius smiled. The man was dressed in a ragged cloak and had on brown gloves. His cloak was originally white, but had been muddied so it was caked with mud and other pieces of grime. He still had the same cocky air about him as usual. The man bowed.

"Sting Eucliffe at your service, your majesty." said the man as he bowed.

The other figure stepped forward and Julius looked at him with interest. He was wearing a cloak as well, but it was black and glossy. He had on a serious face and he bowed as well.

"My name is Gray Fullbuster, your majesty," the man said seriously as Julius nodded.

The king turned back towards the window and shifted his eyes over to Sting. Julius wanted to hear about the progress he had made so far on his mission. It had been a long time since Sting had appeared before him.

"Any sightings of him?" Julius asked as Sting nodded his head slowly.

"Yes, I have managed to corner him. As the leader of the Watchful, I have tracked him down. I believe that he is right where we want him." explained Sting confidently.

Julius nodded and turned towards the man in the black cloak. The man had dark blue hair and looked to be new. He nodded towards Gray.

"And you, what's your job in all of this?" asked Julius as the man looked the king in the eye and spoke.

"My job is to hunt down the murder, Natsu Dragneel."

**The Forest**

Amose's fear had reached its breaking point. Natsu Dragneel was close! Amose tried to move, but didn't feel the energy. He was lying face down so he couldn't see anything happening. Suddenly he felt a hand touch him. Amose began panicking, flailing around, trying to escape.

"H-hey, calm down! Relax, I'm not a bad person!" a voice said from behind him.

Amose started to shout, not convinced by the voice's words. His shouts were loud, filled with fear. They echoed through the forest and eventually the sounds of soldiers could be heard.

"General, I heard voices coming from the forest!"

"Get in there and investigate! If you find anyone who doesn't look like they're one of us, kill them."

"Yes, my lord!"

Amose was flailing around and trying to escape when suddenly he felt himself being lifted off the ground. Amose gasped and then he felt himself flopping around. He could barely feel his own body as he bounced on the shoulders of someone who claimed to be Natsu Dragneel. He continued to shout for help and then suddenly heard the voice again.

"Sorry about this, but you're really making it hard for me!"

Then everything went black.

…

Amose slowly opened his eyes, blinking the fog from his eyes as he tried to figure out where he was. He heard birds chirping from the distance and he tried to sit up. It was a bit painful at first but he finally managed to do it. There were a few cracks in the wooden shed where he was and he looked around, trying to remember how he had gotten here. They were still in the woods, but for some reason, Amose felt safe. There was something comfortable about the wooden shed, sort of like the blacksmith's shop back at the settlement. Then he remembered. There had been a massacre. Soldiers had stormed the the settlement, burning it down and killing people. Killing people… Amose then remembered he had killed someone yesterday. He hunched over, trying not to shiver at the memory. Was killing that easy? Amose was still shivering when the shed door opened, Amose looking up at whoever had entered.

It was a man, a little bit older than he was. He had spiky pink hair and a big grin on his face. He was incredibly muscular and he had a white scarf tied around his neck that had a scale like pattern. He closed the shed door and knelt next to Amose. The blacksmith's apprentice was confused about who this man was. The man patted Amose on the shoulder and stood up.

"You feeling alright, kid?" he asked, Amose nodding slowly and looking up at him.

"Who are you again?" Amose asked, completely confused with who this man was and how exactly he had ended up in a wooden shed in the middle of a forest.

The man laughed and scratched his head as he sat down in a wooden chair in the corner of the shed. On closer observation, the shed was more like a small hut. A shed would be messy, but this shed was actually well kept. It had a dirt floor, but it smelled nice and there was a chair in the corner of the shed where the man sat and a bed where Amose was sitting.

"Eh, this feels a bit weird, introducing myself again, but my name is Natsu Dragneel. You might have heard of me." explained Natsu nervously.

Amose nodded his head slowly. He had heard of Natsu Dragneel before. Natsu was a killer, accused of high treason against the people of Fiore and accused of at least a thousand murders. Anyone with the right mind would have run away, but Amose felt rooted to the spot with fear and a little bit of curiosity. Why hadn't Natsu killed him yet? Amose decided to stick around and find out, no matter how insane it sounded.

"So, how did I get here?" Amose asked as he rubbed his neck, still feeling a little bit groggy from waking up.

"I rescued you. You were hurt in the forest and you were being hunted by soldiers. I carried you back here. You're safe here, for now." explained Natsu.

Amose slowly nodded, taking in the information. He was slowly regaining the memory of how he had ended up in the shed. The massacre explained why he had been running and being chased by soldiers made sense too. Natsu looked at Amose with a bit of sympathy.

"Look, I know you don't trust me, but you don't need to be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you." explained Natsu as Amose nodded slowly, trying to get everything under control.

Finally, Amose decided to learn the truth. He needed to know the truth about Natsu. Could he trust anyone after becoming a killer himself and witnessing a violent attack against his tribe? Amose looked at Natsu and asked his question. His eyes were serious as he did so.

"Did you really kill all those people."

Natsu didn't seem fazed by the question. He stretched his arms and cracked his neck as he sat back in the wooden chair, the chair creaking as he did so. Natsu seemed to think about the answer and then he answered.

"Well, yes and no. I didn't kill all those people directly, but by being the fool I was, yes, I guess you could say that I killed a lot of people." explained the pink haired fugitive.

Amose was interested in what Natsu had said. Natsu didn't kill the people directly? Amose was interested in this. He asked Natsu about what he had said about killing people. Natsu responded with a sad face, sighing.

"Look, I don't expect you to believe any of this, but I once loved a girl. Her name was Lucy, and one day, she was murdered. I tried to bring her back from the dead. I was foolish to do so, trusting a creature I can only call 'Vincent'. He gave me a pocket watch that could turn back time by turning the dial at the top. I did it like the damned fool I was! The world changed, Amose. It changed for the worse. It was I who turned the dial, It is I who gave you the horrible world you live in today!" explained Natsu, tears starting to well up in his eyes.

Amose was silent. He wasn't sure whether or not to believe Natsu, but Amose had decided to trust Natsu. But there was still another question Amose had. His dark brown eyes wanted knowledge from Natsu and he asked his final question to the infamous serial killer.

"How did you kill those people? People say that you eliminated them in a single night. Simply turning back time doesn't kill anyone, does it?" Amose asked, wanting the truth from Natsu.

Natsu shook his head. Amose seemed like a smart kid, but he didn't know much about time. Of course, Natsu didn't either, but he had the knowledge thanks to that monk he had met when he arrived in this new world.

"Turning back time creates new possibilities. People can easily be killed when time is messed with. Other than that, reporters would say I killed people with this." said Natsu as his fist erupted into flame, Amose jumping back in fright.

Fire, on his fist! He was a mage! Amose watched in wonder as the flames disappeared in a snap. The blacksmith's apprentice trembled as he thought about the flames. They had appeared on his body! That meant that he was a! Amose looked at Natsu in amazement.

"T-that means you're like me!" Amose exclaimed, Natsu giving him a weird look.

"What do you mean? Are you a dragon slayer like I am?" asked Natsu as Amose quieted down and looked away.

"O-oh, right. You're a dragon slayer. Never mind." said Amose quietly as Natsu stood up.

The fugitive looked around the shed and opened the door. He waved Amose over to the door and they left the shed quietly. There wasn't anything personal in the shed so Natsu left easily, leaving the wooden shed behind.

"It isn't safe to stay in one spot at a time. People are always looking for me. I know some people who will keep us safe. Come on, let's go," Natsu said as Amose nodded and followed Natsu deeper into the woods.

As Amose left the shed behind, he knew he could trust Natsu. Serial killer or not, he was trustworthy. Amose knew how dangerous anger could be, but anger welled up inside of him. So many innocent people had been killed. His friend had most likely been killed. He would never forgive those who had ordered the attack.

**The Ostian Primary Settlement**

The attack had been concluded. Most of the settlement had been burned down and all the bodies had been burned. Several soldiers were patrolling through the settlement, making sure no tribes people tried to sneak in. Standing at the meeting area of the settlement were two soldiers, talking to each other. They carried spears and they wore the armor of members of the Fairy Tail Battalion. One of them looked over at the burned down settlement and sighed.

"It's kind of a shame, don't you think, Jet?"

The soldier stand next to him gave him a look of disgust and spit on the ground.

"Oh come on, Droy. It was a pile of garbage. It deserved to be destroyed! Seriously, don't let General Levy catch you talking like that!" the other soldier said.

"Excuse me, soldiers."

The two soldiers turned to see a man wearing a black glossy cloak standing in front of them. He had on a serious face and had dark blue hair. The soldier named Jet held out his spear at the man.

"You can't enter." He said as the man in the cloak laughed and pulled out a piece of paper.

He handed it to Jet and the soldier read it. It was a letter from Head Inspector Sting. Jet nodded and stood aside for the man to walk past. Jet watched the man go with some resentment.

"Huh, his name was Gray Fullbuster, some sort of hotshot from the Watchful. Those guys are the worst."

Droy watched the man walk away, wondering what sort of work a Watchful agent would have in a place like this.

…

"Hmm, he's been here." said Gray as he stood up from where he had been kneeling in the forest.

"How can you be sure?" asked one of the soldiers behind him.

Gray turned to the soldier and pointed towards the ground. There were small burn marks on the trees and plants around the area.

"He was here, most likely hiding out, perhaps even training. His fire magic left traces all over the place." said Gray as he turned to the woman who had been watching him.

The leader of the soldiers in this section had been watching the agent ever since he had set foot in the settlement. Did she not trust him? She was known as "General Levy" around these parts and she watched Gray carefully. She finally unfolded her arms and sighed.

"Very well, you have my permission to leave this area and continue searching for Natsu Dragneel. As much as I distrust the Watchful, I have no choice but to let you go. Carry on. Soldiers, back to the settlement." commanded the general as the soldiers turned on their heels and went back to the ruins.

Gray stood and ran his hand through his hair, narrowing his eyes. He could almost see the trail Natsu had taken. His instinct had never failed him. Gray continued to walk deeper in the forest, thinking about all the ways he could kill Natsu.

"Make no mistake, Dragneel. When I find you, I will not hesitate to kill you. You better watch your back because you're running out of time."

**And there is the second chapter! Hopefully it lived up to your expectations! I know no OCs appeared in this chapter but they will in the next chapter! I introduced some more characters in this chapter. As for pairings, (some romance that carried over from Turn Back Time) I only have NatsuxLucy for now. I don't know whether or not to go with any more pairings besides that because that's the only one I really planned.**

**Anyways, feel free to send in your OCs! Thanks for reading and please review and stuff! FF**


	3. Loyalty

**Thanks for all the reviews! Here's the next chapter. The OCs that I have chosen will be appearing from here on out, some sooner than others. There were a lot of creative OCs that I had to choose from. I can definitely feel inspiration for this story. It's a great feeling when you get inspiration after many weeks of nothing. Anyways, here is the chapter. Enjoy and review.**

Running was difficult. Running made him feel like a coward. He didn't want to feel like a coward. But that was the only solution to a problem such as this. He was travelling with a man who had murdered thousands and their destination was unknown. Was Amose Keel now a fugitive? He sure didn't think so. As angry as he was, Amose kept calm. He couldn't let his anger take control of him ever again. People die when others are pushed to the edge. Natsu didn't say much as the pair ran through the woods, Amose struggling to keep up. Despite being strong in the upper body, Amose was at best average when it came to running.

They had been running for an untold number of hours, stopping only twice to rest. They had even run in the dark. However, Amose did sort of know what was going on. They were moving out of the forest. When Amose had first started running, the trees were thick and dark, surrounding him on all sides. Now, trees were still common, but bushes and shrubs were even more common than when they were in the deep woods. In the deep woods, nothing made sounds, but now the sounds of birds could be heard coming from the leafy green tree tops. His heart was pounding and his head was spinning, but Amose kept running. He thought in his head that there were people waiting for him. He thought that people were counting on him. Maybe that was the truth, maybe not.

"Stop, get down."

Amose was still running when he smacked into the muscular serial killer, falling back down with a cry. Natsu quickly covered his mouth and made a motion to be quiet. Natsu helped Amose stand and the two slowly lay down on the forest floor, watching carefully from a parted bush. They had discovered a log cabin. Even more of the cabins could be seen in the background. Natsu smiled as he saw the door open and someone exit, carrying a woodcutting axe in their hand. The man had been dressed in a white t-shirt and blue overalls. He quickly turned the corner and walked off into the forest.

Amose had difficulty seeing because it was very early morning, but every cabin had a lantern on the side so it was easy to see everything. It looked like a nice place. The cabins were arranged a bit hastily, but they seemed cozy. People were already outside in the early morning and many of them were sitting around stumps of wood, smoking. Natsu turned to Amose who was watching the scene with fascination.

"Try not to make any noise. These people are friends, but they're jumpy from that massacre back at your settlement." explained Natsu as the two slowly stood, most likely impossible to see because of the darkness.

Amose was surprised by Natsu's statement. These were tribal people? Why hadn't they evacuated yet? They should have left long ago if they truly knew anything about the massacre!

"B-but, how do they know about the massacre and why haven't they left already?" asked Amose as the two moved silently towards the cabin where the man with the axe had come out of.

"News travels fast in the tribal areas. Maybe some of your friends managed to escape. Don't worry about these guys. They're a tough bunch, always fighting with wild animals and stuff. They have a strong leader too. I'll introduce you to him some time," Natsu explained as the two made absolutely sure they were not being followed and quickly knocked on the door of the cabin, looking around to make sure nobody was coming.

It seemed like an eternity but the door was finally opened by a boy younger than Amose himself. He was wearing a crumpled red shirt and he had messy dark velvet hair. His dark blue cat-like eyes were dull from sleep until they saw Natsu standing in the doorway. The boy's eyes shot open and they were filled with alarm.

"Natsu, what are you doing here? I told you it wasn't safe to let you in here anymore, especially with that massacre at the Ostian settlement!" the boy hissed quietly as Natsu held up his hand, trying to calm the boy down.

"Ren, I know and I'm sorry. But you have to make an exception for this special case. Come on, I'll introduce you to my friend."

The boy frowned but nevertheless opened the door wider so that Natsu and Amose could enter. The two sat in chairs that faced a bed where the boy named Ren sat, looking at the two. Amose was busy looking around the cabin, taking note of how cozy it was. It was simple, but it was comfortable with a small kitchen, bed, wooden table, and two wooden chairs. Something that looked like a bookcase lay to the side of the bed, half finished. Natsu leaned back in his chair, happy to find a place to lay low for a while. He turned to Amose and then to Ren.

"Ren, this is Amose, an Ostian survivor." explained Natsu as Ren nodded.

Amose was surprised that Natsu knew his name. Had Natsu visited the settlement before? Ren smiled when he saw Amose's bewilderment.

"Natsu is sheltered by all the tribes, Amose. Don't look so confused," Ren explained as he turned to Natsu, a concerned look on his face. "What's going on at the Ostian settlement, Natsu? I heard there were no survivors, well, besides Amose of course."

Amose sucked in a breath at that. No survivors. Amose felt tears well up once again. Anger flared within him. He was the last Ostian to walk the earth. Even with all these emotions, Amose stayed quiet, wanting to learn more about what Ren and Natsu knew. Natsu patted Amose on the back and looked at Ren, a serious look on his face.

"You guys should have gotten out of here a long time ago. You don't know what might happen." said Natsu, concerned.

Ren just laughed and brushed away Natsu's words like they were nothing. Amose was jealous of Ren's confidence.

"Don't worry about it, Natsu. Our leader is stronger than any general I have ever seen. He'll take care of those snobs easily!" laughed Ren as Natsu grunted.

Amose had calmed down a bit and settled in to watch Natsu close his eyes and sigh. Ren gave him a weird look. The cabin's light wasn't very high so shadows covered much of the room besides the bed so half of Natsu's face looked like it had disappeared. After a few moments of silence, Natsu opened his eyes.

"Ren, what if they do get past your leader? What then?" asked Natsu, Ren nodding his head.

"I have friends in other tribes. I could always join them if we get wiped out. But, we could always-" suddenly, Ren stopped.

He seemed to be listening to something. Ren stood up from his bed and walked over to his door and opened it. He looked around the corner at the various cabins and saw other people coming out with various weapons in their hands. Ren frowned darkly and went back into the cabin. Natsu and Amose were already standing and Ren quickly motioned for them to sit down.

"Just sit tight! Something is happening down by the entrance. I'll be right back so just sight tight, alright?" Ren said as he grabbed his sword from under his bed, drawing it and nodding at the shiny blade.

Natsu was about to protest when Ren blew past him, already outside by the time Natsu tried to open the door. Amose stood with Natsu as the fire dragon slayer opened the door and Amose followed.

"Looks like we're going to go against Ren's orders?" Amose asked as Natsu gave him a huge grin.

"Naturally."

**Trail to the Tulgian settlement**

The sounds of hundreds of soldiers marching along the dirt trail that led to the Tulgian settlement made a lot of noise, but Gildartz didn't care. He was too busy in his own thoughts. The last few days had been troubling for him. Julius had changed rapidly over the course of only a few days and that worried Gildartz greatly. His elite guard would not let anyone see him besides a few select individuals. What was even more troubling was the conversation he had overheard in the hallway the night before…

_-last night, Wizard's Palace-_

Gildartz was not one to walk the palace at night, but today he felt like he would take a walk. The general appreciated the beauty of the palace and he admired the paintings as he passed through the torch lit hallways and past the massive floor-to-ceilings windows. However, on his way past the throne room, he heard someone speaking. The side door into the throne room was rather thin and Gildartz was curious as to who was in the throne room so late at night. He stopped outside the door and opened it a crack to see what was going on. He was surprised to see a young woman with middle length blue hair kneeling on the ground in front of the throne. Gildartz could make out the form of Erza Scarlet, one of the king's personal guards next to the throne. However, the conversation was what alarmed Gildartz.

"Colonel Wendy, this is may be a surprise to you, being called to the king so late at night, but I have a job for you."

The young woman looked up at the throne, slightly shaking. Gildartz narrowed his eyes and wondered what was going on. Why a council with Wendy so late at night? His questions were answered as the king continued to talk.

"You were recently promoted and I congratulate you. Now, I have a special assignment for you. Yes, just for you. Think of it as the perfect opportunity to prove your loyalty to me. Michelle, please read the assignment to Colonel Wendy, please." said Julius coolly.

Gildartz was trying to process everything that he had heard. A special assignment that only Wendy could carry out? Gildartz was not one to question the king's orders, but due to current events, he had to question this "special assignment".

"Colonel Wendy, you are to track down the Ostian refugee Amose Keel. The king believes he is connected with the fugitive Natsu Dragneel. His majesty wants him alive and unharmed."

Gildartz backed away from the door, mind reeling. Track down an Ostian refugee? What purpose would an Ostian refugee serve? Gildartz was about to leave when he heard Wendy stand up. Gildartz closed his eyes in sadness when he heard Wendy say the words that would doom the Ostian tribe.

"Yes, your majesty!"

…

"Gildartz, are you all right?"

Gildartz's eyes snapped open at the sound of the voice. He was riding on a horse through the forest with several hundreds of soldiers behind him. To his right was a figure wearing a light brown military pea coat. He was also riding a horse and he had a cocky smile on his face. Gildartz grunted. He had forgotten that he had a side mission which was to escort Chief Agent Eucliffe to the Tulgian settlement. Gildartz didn't like the cocky smile that Sting always had on his face. He was leader of the Watchful, Julius' secret police.

"It was nothing, just a little tired." replied Gildartz as Sting nodded his head and the small army of soldiers continued marching.

Eventually, Sting raised his hand and Gildartz brought the march to a halt. Sting nodded to the general.

"Thank you, general, for the escort. I shall be going alone at this point." thanked Sting as Gildartz nodded as Sting quickly disappeared from view on his horse.

The army was nearly in front of the Tulgian settlement. Gildartz watched the cocky agent disappear and scoffed.

"Good riddance."

…

It had been a very short ride to the Tulgian settlement. Sting had arrived there within a minute and the gates were wide open. A few people were walking around near the entrance and his arrival through the gates startled them. Sting rode his horse through the entrance and brought his horse to a stop at the area where all the log cabins were. He looked around the settlement and quickly dismounted, walk towards the closest person.

"Where is your leader? I believe he has business with the Watchful." said Sting confidently to the tribesman.

The tribesman frowned and shouted something to a few other people. Sting chuckled a little bit. How cute, they have their own language. Sting waited patiently and it wasn't long before many people showed up, surrounding Sting. The Chief Agent had been in tight spots such as this but there was something about these people that made Sting uneasy. They seemed to have a murderous fury in their eyes as they started to get closer to Sting. Some carried clubs, others spears.

"How dare you threaten me! I am the Chief Agent of the Watchful! You shall bring your leader to me in chains at once!" shouted Sting as the group of people suddenly backed off, giving Sting some breathing room.

Sting thought he had won, but a voice made Sting's blood run cold. The crowd slowly parted to reveal a man a little bit taller than Sting. His face was covered by a black cloth and the man wore a hood. He was dressed in a cloak and carried a staff.

"Stop announcing yourself like that. It's annoying. You might have thought that I was too badly hurt to fight you, that I would simply surrender myself, but you were wrong, Sting. I accept my death, but that doesn't mean I will die in chains! I will die fighting you!" roared the man as he pointed the staff at Sting, the Watchful leader giving a cocky smirk.

"You wouldn't dare touch me! It would bring a massacre to your tribe!" Sting shouted as the man chuckled.

"Look at the people around you Sting. Do you think they care about death anymore? We will all sacrifice our lives to stay free! I'll be damned if you think you can simply take away my freedom by waving your title around! Die like the dog you are! Staff Magic: Crushing Blow!" the hooded man shouted as the staff glowed red and a single circle appeared underneath Sting.

Sting panicked, trying to get out of the circle, but failed to do so, screaming at the man who had cast the spell.

"You'll pay for this, Mystogan! Your tribe will be wiped out! This is the last mistake you will ma-"

There was a deafening boom like thunder and Sting's body fell to the ground, blood staining the brown pea coat. The crowd of tribes people cheered as Sting fell to the ground, his blood soaking the grass. Mystogan closed his eyes.

"He deserved what he got. Now turn and face the gates my friends! We fight for our freedom! Dethrone tyranny!"

**At the back of the crowd…**

All hell broke loose at the chants and cheers of tribes people as they suddenly charged forward. Natsu and Amose were at the very back of the crowd when they started to charge forward, waving their weapons in the air.

"Natsu, what's going on!" shouted Amose as Natsu looked around for Ren.

"Looks like another massacre! Damn it! Help me find Ren and then we get out of this massacre!" Natsu shouted back as the two plunged into the thick crowd of shouting tribes people.

The shouts of the tribes people were deafening as Amose moved through the battlefield, avoiding possible death. The soldiers were being called in! Amose moved quickly, trying to find Ren. However, it was Ren that found Amose. The boy was attacking a soldier with his sword and Amose called out to him, pushing the soldier over as he grabbed Ren. Amose's face was one of pure terror as he pulled Ren out of the battle.

"We're getting out of here! This is suicide!" Amose screamed as Natsu emerged from the battle, joining the group.

Ren fought Amose's grip, but the blacksmith's apprentice was too strong. Natsu pointed towards the woods at the other side of the settlement.

"Ren, you know the way to the Mage's Retreat, right?" Natsu asked as Ren nodded.

"Yeah, my friend Aerin trains there with the mage teacher, but I'm not leaving! I can't leave my tribe behind!" Ren shouted as Natsu grabbed him and pulled him in close, Natsu's face one of anger.

"You are coming with me, you hear? I have let too many people die already, and you are not going to be one of them! You stay, and your tribe will be completely wiped out! Don't you want revenge for what they did in the first place? Don't throw your life away, now let's go!" Natsu screamed as Ren grit his teeth and looked away.

The group fled into the woods as the Tulgi tribe fought a hopeless battle against the Fairy Tail Battalion's Concrete Squadron. However, as the group ran, they did not notice a person in a glossy black cloak watching them, his eyes narrowed. He smiled darkly as he watched Natsu run into the forest. He had excellent hearing and he had heard everything Natsu had said. His shouting made it easy to hear as well.

"So you're heading into the woods again, huh? Well, Natsu Dragneel, I think this game has ended in my victory. You'll have nowhere to run, and in the end, I will be the one to punish you for your criminal actions! Just you wait, Natsu."

**So, there is the third chapter! I hope you guys liked it! It's a bit long but I thought it was a good follow up for the second chapter. I introduced some OCs in this chapter. I mentioned Michelle who is White Snowy Princess' character. I mentioned Aerin, who is Schwan's character. Ren is the only OC to fully appear in this chapter and that character belongs to LunarBlaze. **

**I really hope you guys like how the story is turning out with the AU characters and the plot as well. I certainly do like it. I also hope you guys like the long chapters because I like to write long chapters. Anyways, if you liked it, review it please! You don't know how much that motivates me. Anyways, thanks for reading and I will see you in the next (very) action packed chapter! FF**


	4. Truth

**Here's the fourth chapter! I think you've all been waiting for this. I actually had this chapter typed up yesterday but I deleted it because I didn't like how it turned out. More OCs will be introduced this chapter. I also apologize if this chapter isn't as good as the others. I'm sick right now and it's really coming around. Also, I apologize to Snowy White Princess for not showing her OC as much. I think you'll understand that I'm saving her for the future chapters. Anyways, enjoy!**

The Tulgians were fighting for their lives. The Ostians had been wiped out. Only the Yitter remained. So many people had been killed in a single week. Why were they running? Amose's mood was dark as the group tore through the woods. They always ran away. Natsu was at the head of the group, running as fast as he could. Ren and Amose were keeping pace but Ren was better at running than Amose. Amose took a look at Ren as they ran. The Tulgian's face was the same as Amose's. Their faces were filled with anger. Did Natsu feel the same way? He must have had friends in the tribe as well.

The group continued to run until they suddenly burst into a clearing in the forest. Amose gasped at the clearing's beauty. It was a huge clearing in the middle of the forest with ruins dominating most of it. Ren was also fascinated and the two looked around the area, taking in all the sights. Natsu caught his breath and looked around as well. Most of the clearing was dominated by a huge stone amphitheater. There was a short flight of stairs that led into the amphitheater and surrounding the amphitheater were ruined stone buildings. Ivy grew along the ruins and the forest canopy seemed to extend across the clearing, providing patches of shade. The ground was chalky and tan, few plants growing besides ivy. Amose and Ren looked at the two buildings that were closest to them. One building was wide and had a large dome with a hole carved in the top of the dome. It looked like an observatory used for observing stars. The other building looked more like living quarters. It was a squat building with a window with old wooden shutters and a wooden door. Amose and Ren looked at Natsu in amazement.

"Is this Mage's Retreat?" the two of them asked Natsu.

The fire dragon slayer nodded and was about to say something when he was suddenly blown off his feet by an unknown force. Amose and Ren tried to react, but it was too late. Similar forces struck them, knocking them off their feet. The two skid across the ground and were about to stand up but they were pinned down by some sort of invisible barrier! They looked over to see that Natsu was struggling with his own barrier and suddenly a figure appeared right in front of Natsu, looking down at him with an angry look.

"Just what do you want here, intruder? This place is off limits!" shouted the figure angrily at Natsu.

Natsu's eyes widened when he saw the figure's face. It was a little difficult to see from the sunlight filtering in through the canopy, but it was obvious to see who it was. He had oak eyes, chestnut colored hair, and lightly tanned skin. One of his black boots was on Natsu's chest and Natsu could see that the figure wore a black short sleeved jacket and a white t-shirt underneath. The only thing different about him was the scar down his left cheek. It had to be him.

"Hikari?"

The figure took his boot off Natsu's chest and looked down at him, examining him closely. The man named Hikari looked Natsu over and suddenly he remembered something he had seen in a dream. It had been a man who could breathe fire with pink spiky hair. Hikari stepped backwards and narrowed his eyes.

"Natsu Dragneel, what are you doing here? This area is off limits to _everyone _besides Aerin and myself." said Hikari darkly as he waved his hand and Natsu felt the barrier disappear.

The man named Hikari waved his hand towards Amose and Ren and the two stood up, dusting themselves off as they did so. Amose and Ren had no idea who this was. He seemed to be a strong mage, taking Natsu down so easily. Hikari looked at Amose and Ren and looked at Natsu, a slightly annoyed look on his face.

"Why have you come here, Natsu. You interrupted my teaching session with Aerin." asked Hikari as Natsu nodded.

"I apologize, Hikari." apologized Natsu, his facial expression quickly becoming serious after his apology. "Did you hear about what happened at the Tulgian settlement?"

Hikari shook his head. Nobody in any tribe was allowed to enter the Mage's Retreat. Aerin only left to hunt and no news ever came to the abandoned retreat. However, Hikari could sense something from Natsu, Amose, and Ren. They had been through a lot for sure. Hikari looked at Natsu and asked what had happened. Natsu quickly told him and Hikari looked shocked. A massacre at two settlements! Why would something like take place? Hikari now understood what was going on. Natsu was on the run with the two he had brought along. They were no doubt survivors from the massacres. Hikari looked at Natsu and nodded.

"Alright, I understand what you want. Let me call my apprentice and then we can go and talk," Hikari said as he whistled, a girl coming out from the forest.

She had white hair that was shoulder length and wore a grey t-shirt over a sleeveless black trench coat. A necklace made of a crystal hung around her neck. She had golden colored eyes and a fair skin tone. She waved to Ren who waved back. Hikari pointed towards the observatory-like building and she nodded, leading Amose and Ren into the building. Natsu and Hikari headed towards the other building.

…

"It's great to see you again, Ren. I was getting kind of home sick." said Aerin cheerfully as she led them into the observatory.

Ren just smiled at that and looked around the building with Amose. It was amazing. There were a few beds near the door, but then there was a spiral staircase that led up into the observation dome. Amose was definitely impressed with the building. A torch lit the bottom floor and several torches lit the way up into the observatory. The air was cool unlike the humid air outside and leaned against the stone pillar that held together the staircase. Ren and Amose sat down on the beds.

"So, why are you guys here? I thought people weren't allowed to come here." asked Aerin as Ren and Amose sighed.

Amose decided to let Ren explain. It was easier that way. It was their tribe after all. Ren explained everything to Aerin. Ren's side of the journey wasn't as long, but it was still tragic. Aerin took it pretty well. She never let the happy light dim from her eyes and only gave a sad sigh and looked down at the ground, trying not to cry. She eventually looked back up at Ren and Amose, smiling.

"Well, at least you two made it out alright. Oh, Ren, have you been practicing your magic lately?" Aerin asked, changing the subject.

Ren shook his head. Amose was surprised. Ren knew magic? Ren laughed at Aerin's statement.

"Oh, come on, Aerin. You know I can't use magic anywhere but in the forest. It's dangerous being a mage. We took a big risk coming here," Ren said seriously.

Amose was confused. It was dangerous to be a mage? He wasn't aware of these sorts of rules. The past few days had made his head spin and it was going to be a while before Amose got used to anything even remotely normal. Amose asked about it and Aerin answered.

"It's dangerous to be a mage these days because people are always looking for mages. They report them to the army and they come and take the mages away. Mages are always forced into the army. Any mages in the world have to keep their heads low unless they don't want to be put in the army." explained Aerin.

Amose nodded. He understood why Ren hadn't practiced any magic when his tribe was attacked. Amose looked down at the ground. He was ashamed. To tell the truth, he knew magic as well, but he didn't want to show it because it would make everyone think he was a monster. Amose felt it start to arise when he got angry. He always kept his anger down, always. He could never show his magic in front of anyone.

…

Hikari closed the door behind Natsu as the two walked into the stone building. Inside was a desk and a bed, nothing more. The room was lit by a single torch that hung on the stone wall.

"So you weren't blinded by my foolish actions?

Hikari was standing in front of his desk when he heard Natsu ask the question. He sighed and touched the wooden desk with his right hand.

"I was only half blinded. My foster mother saved me from a complete memory wipe. I can only see fragments. I usually see them when I sleep, but recently I have been seeing things when I am awake. This isn't the life I was destined to live, is it?" replied Hikari as Natsu nodded his head.

"I'm one of the few who know the complete truth. There's a world out there that isn't like this. Julius used to be a hero, Natsu. I'm trying to work towards a solution." explained Natsu as Hikari nodded.

The magic tutor nodded his head, thinking about things. He had seen things, dangerous things. He turned towards Natsu, the fire dragon slayer's shadow on the wall of the room.

"You want me to join you, don't you?" Hikari asked as Natsu nodded his head.

"You're a powerful mage, Hikari. With two dragon slayers, we would be difficult to stop. Please, consider it. We need all the help we can get." said Natsu.

"I would join you, but what about Aerin? I haven't finished teaching her. If I left, she would have to come with me. Are you ok with having another person coming along?" asked Hikari as Natsu nodded.

"I swear that I will do everything I can to help you and Aerin if you do the same for us." pledged Natsu as Hikari nodded his head.

The two were about to leave the room when they heard a thud and then shouts and screams. The two broke through the wooden door and were outside in a flash. They gasped when they looked at the observatory. Huge shards of ice were sticking out of the stone building and it crumbled as Aerin and the others came running from the now destroyed building. Natsu froze in shock when he saw someone emerge from the ruins of the observatory. He wore a black glossy cloak and he had the face of Natsu's rival. Natsu struggled to speak his name.

"G-Gray?"

**Wizard's Palace**

"The prisoners are ready, your majesty."

Julius turned from the window to see Levy standing in front of him. He smiled a little bit as he nodded. He was going to look forward to this.

"Very well, let's take a look."

…

Levy led Julius down towards the palace's dungeons. Julius had never visited the dungeons because he never needed to. He simply had all enemies executed. However, these were special prisoners. Levy quickly opened the iron door that led down into the dungeon and they walked quickly down the well-lit stone steps. At the bottom of the stone steps there was a long row of iron doors. None of them held prisoners besides the very last one on the left. Levy led Julius to the door that held the prisoners and she quickly opened it.

Inside were Macao and Romeo. They were restrained by chains that held them against the wall. They were bloody and their clothes were tattered and covered in mud. Julius was surprised to see that they still had fight left in their eyes. Julius gave them a friendly smile.

"Tragic to meet under these circumstances, I know," Julius said coolly as Macao and Romeo glared at them.

"Go die you monster." spat Romeo.

Julius chuckled at that. He moved in front of the two prisoners and sighed. These two were going to put up a fight without a doubt. They always had to make things difficult. Julius smiled again, this one not as friendly.

"I have a few questions to ask you. If you answer them, you might live. They're about your friend, Amose Keel." explained Julius as Levy smirked.

Romeo growled in anger and struggled against his chains. Macao glared at Julius, hate at its maximum.

"We won't tell you anything."

Julius waved Macao's words away. They always said that. The king knew that Macao and Romeo had to have some knowledge on Amose Keel. They had to!

"How smart is Amose? How fast is Amose? How strong is Amose? What magic does Amose possess? These are the questions I need answered. Answer them!" shouted Julius as Macao started to laugh.

The laugh echoed off of the iron doors and filled the cell. Julius narrowed his eyes and Levy crossed her arms in frustration. Prisoners would usually give up by now. Macao looked at Julius with an incredulous look.

"Do you really think a chieftain and his son would rat out a fellow tribe member? You're wrong, Julius. We would never do that! It would violate our Ostian honor! Do your worst you tyrant king!" roared Macao as Julius shrugged his shoulders.

"As you wish."

Levy snickered as Julius closed his eyes. She had heard of Julius' power as a rumor, but now she was about to witness it firsthand. It was said that Julius could steal the souls of victims and keep their power for himself. Julius opened his eyes, the eyes now solid black. The king looked at Macao and Romeo's brave faces and smiled.

"The Thief's Eye, give their powers to me!" shouted Julius as the Ostian chieftain and his son suddenly froze, their skin turning pale.

Julius smiled as he saw their souls rip from their bodies. Macao and Romeo went limp. The white wisps that were the souls of Macao and Romeo were absorbed into Julius and the king scoffed.

"Only this much power? Ha, they were weak," he jeered as he turned to Levy, "Get rid of the bodies. It seems that I will have to wait for a little while longer."

"Yes, your majesty."

Julius left the cell, smiling. He was looking forward to the future. He would meet Amose Keel face to face and then take his power for himself. Nobody could stand in his way. Nobody!

**Mage's Retreat**

"…go."

Hikari and the others looked at Natsu like he was crazy. Fighting this enemy all by himself? That was crazy! Hikari tried to talk Natsu out of it but Natsu pushed Hikari away. Natsu's eyes were fierce.

"Hikari, leave. This is a battle that I have to fight alone. No matter how hard you try to stop me, I have to fight him. Please try to understand. It was my fault that he faces me in battle like this. I need to make this right," Natsu said darkly as he looked at Gray.

Hikari sighed and directed Amose, Ren, and Aerin away from the battle. Amose watched Natsu as they ran into the forest. Natsu was right. There were some battles you had to fight alone.

…

"I'm sorry, Gray!"

The shards of ice broke the ground when they struck, tearing up the level ground. Gray grit his teeth as he sent shards of ice flying towards Natsu. The fire dragon slayer quickly melted them and stepped out of the way as lances made of ice pierced the stone ruins where Natsu stood just a second before.

"Apologizing won't save you, Dragneel. You'll pay for what you did!" shouted Gray as he quickly created a sharp disk made of ice and sent it spinning towards Natsu.

The fire dragon slayer quickly dodged the disk. He felt it whizz by and he winced as the disk cut him across the cheek. However, he didn't see that Gray had used the disk as a distraction. The agent moved quickly while Natsu was distracted with the disk. He created a fist made of ice and smashed it straight into Natsu's stomach as soon as he dodged the disk. Natsu smashed against a column of stone and quickly moved out of the way before Gray could stab him with the sword made of ice. Natsu's fist erupted into flame as he quickly broke the sword made of ice and slammed the fist into Gray's face, sending the agent skidding across the ground. Natsu breathed heavily as he watched Gray stand up and brush himself off. Gray was a lot stronger now. He used to be as strong, but now he was stronger than Natsu!

"Joining the Watchful was just an excuse."

Natsu looked at Gray, trying to see what he would do next. This battle was not going to end well if Natsu did not find a way to counter Gray's quick attacks. Gray clenched his fist and several pillars of ice appeared around Natsu. The fire dragon slayer realized too late that it had been a trap. He was completely immobilized by the pillars! They had formed all around him, trapping his arms against the other pillars. Gray smiled a little bit as he started to walk closer to Natsu.

"It was all just an excuse, Natsu. I only wanted to kill you. Consider this your punishment for the deaths of my friends and family! Ice Make: Glacier Spear!" Gray roared as an elaborate spear appeared in his hands.

The spear's blade was made of ice and Gray aimed it straight at Natsu's heart. Natsu's eyes narrowed. This was it. He could feel his energy slowly being sapped by the pillars of ice. Should he attempt to use his best move? Could he save Gray? Gray smirked when he saw that Natsu was trying to think.

"It's over, Dragneel. My friends and family will be avenged!" he shouted as he charged forward with the lance in his hands, the blade made of ice gleaming in the sun as it shot towards Natsu's heart.

It was time to gamble. Natsu opened his mouth and felt his power surge forward in a desperate attempt to save the one person he owed the greatest debt to.

"Fire Dragon's Electric Flame!"

The shot powered forward, Natsu gasping and coughing up blood as Gray's spear shot straight into his side. It had been poorly timed, but it had managed to save Natsu. Gray was sent flying back, slamming against a piece of stone. The pillars of ice disappeared and Natsu fell to the ground, barely able to breath. He had gambled and won. However, the price had been heavy. His wound was pouring blood, and he was barely able to walk because of the move he had just used. He shouldn't have been able to use that move because of complications with time. Natsu crawled towards where Gray was lying, Natsu having torn his own clothes to bandage his wound. His scarf was dusty and a little bloody and Natsu could barely breathe, but he eventually made it where Gray was lying.

Gray was slumped against a rock and Natsu looked to see if Gray was dead. His pulse was still there, weak, but there. Natsu grabbed Gray's cloak and tried to get him to wake up.

"Gray! Damn it, Gray! Wake up and look at me!" shouted Natsu as Gray slowly stirred, frowning and then opening his eyes.

Natsu breathed a sigh of relief as Gray slowly sat up, rubbing his neck. Suddenly fear hit Natsu. What if Gray had not returned? What if he still wanted to fight Natsu? This fear was dispelled when Gray hit Natsu away and slowly stood up, rubbing his head. He scowled when he looked at Natsu.

"Alright, what the crap did you do to me, you fire eater?" he groaned as he stretched.

Natsu stood up, angry at Gray for hitting him. The two glared at each other and squabbled for a while before Gray noticed Natsu's wounds.

"D-Did we have a fight or something? Oh, crap! Erza will kill us if she sees us like this!" shouted Gray as Natsu smiled and helped each other walk in the direction where Hikari had led Amose and the others.

"I'll tell you everything on the way there, alright?"

**The Long Grass Plains**

"I-I can't run anymore…" complained Amose as he fell to the ground in front of the tall grass of the The Long Grass Plains.

Everyone else collapsed as well. They had not run very long compared to their previous runs, but fatigue was starting to set in. Hikari caught his breath as he stared back at the forest. Was Natsu really alright? Could he handle himself in front of Gray? Hikari's head was pounding and he grabbed it. He needed to know more, but he was so limited! Suddenly he heard Aerin shout something. He turned to suddenly be nailed straight into the ground. He tried to move but soon realized that he couldn't! He could only watch as a young woman wearing a dark green military uniform came out of the tall grass. She had middle length blue hair and she had a determined look on her face. She looked right at Amose and nodded determinedly.

"I've got you!"

**There you go. I'm sorry to say this, but until my sickness goes down, I will not be updating as much. I've been writing a lot since I put out the first chapter and the party did not help with getting my sickness to go away. Who knows, maybe I will feel better tomorrow. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review! FF**


	5. Sheltered

**Here is the fifth chapter! Thanks for all the support, everyone! I think you will enjoy this chapter. I spent a lot of time thinking about what AU characters should appear. Think you guys will enjoy the characters that appear. Still a little bit sick. Anyways, here is the chapter. Enjoy and review. **

In all honesty, Wendy was not sure about what she could do against the group of three she now faced. There was a boy with dark blue hair and cat like eyes, a girl with a sleeveless trench coat and a crystal necklace, and a young man with short brown hair and a strong upper body. She had managed to pin down the strongest member of the group, a man wearing a black short sleeved jacket with a scar down his left cheek. However, she was unsure about the abilities about the three she was about to face.

She was determined not to fail and the situation seemed to be in her favor. She could not fail. Failure meant death. Wendy didn't care about her loyalty to her king. She just didn't want to fail those who had taken care of her all those years. She had been saved by the military, and she wanted to repay her debts. Her mind was set as soon as she thought about the military. She would defeat the group and capture Amose Keel, the young man with short brown hair.

"Come on, Ren, she's from the military! Avenge our tribe!" roared the girl in the trench coat as she charged forward with the dark blue haired boy.

Wendy was surprised by how eager they were to fight. She was also impressed with how strong they were for their age. The girl drew strength from the surroundings and used pure energy to create spears, swords, arrows, even using the energy to tear boulders from the ground with her bare hands. Meanwhile, the boy was running straight up to Wendy, using some form of Music Magic to attack her. Wendy was pinned down on both fronts. She couldn't attack the boy without being attacked by the girl and vice versa. However, she had been trained and she held a form of magic that was rare among mages.

Wendy felt pain go through her as she was struck by a whip made of pure energy. The slight hesitation created an opening for the boy as he sank one of his blades into Wendy's uniform. The whip had torn into the cloth and had burned her skin. The blade only made the pain worse despite the blade's short length. The two mages backed away as Wendy fell to her knees, grabbing the stab wound. Blood dripped onto the ground and Wendy winced as she looked at the two mages. For some reason, she was jealous of them. She was jealous of how confident they seemed. Wendy shook her head and slowly tried to stand up, knowing that failure meant death. She could not fail!

"The Wind Dragon's Cutting Winds!" Wendy shouted as blades of wind came from all sides, cutting off any chance of escape.

Ren and Aerin quickly realized that escape was impossible and tried to block the attack, but their attempts to block were defeated when Wendy decided to boost the blades of wind with a roar of cutting wind that smashed the blades straight through their defenses. The two Tulgian mages fell backwards, smashing into the ground. They attempted to get up and fight again, but they realized that they were paralyzed just like Hikari. Wendy smiled when she realized that her new technique had been successful. The Cutting Winds did not do much damage on the outside, but it temporarily paralyzed the victim. Wendy turned her eyes towards Amose and saw that the he seemed to be paralyzed in fear.

"His majesty seeks your presence," Wendy said as Amose shivered and then glared at Wendy.

The look of pure savagery on his face made Wendy feel uncomfortable. She held her ground and mentally prepared herself for the possible attack that could follow. For once in her life, she was confident. Amose gave a psychotic smile at Wendy's words. His body felt like it was about to explode. He was starting to sweat despite the sun starting to set and the cool winds of night approaching. His fury was starting to become uncontrollable. The military had followed him everywhere. Now, it was his turn to deal pain. Amose charged forward, fists ready to smash into Wendy's face. The colonel reacted quickly, being trained in hand to hand combat. Her confidence made her usually clumsy moves move gracefully as she ducked under Amose's first punch and then smashed her fist straight into Amose's chin and kicked the young man in the chest, sending him stumbling back and then falling to the ground in a heap.

Wendy nodded her head in satisfaction and decided to quickly finish up the operation. The paralysis on the strongest of the group would start to be wearing of by now. She could hear Ren and Aerin struggle to regain control of their bodies and she quickly walked over to Amose's fallen body. The blacksmith's apprentice had his eyes closed and his fists clenched. His breathing was irregular and he was sweating all over. Little did Wendy know, Amose was at his breaking point. The monster he had tried to control was about to emerge and ravage just about anything that stood in his way. Amose's body felt like it was melting. He felt his anger bubble up and Amose tried to control it, but the image of Romeo came to his mind. His best friend was killed in the massacre, and he couldn't do anything to help. Amose gave up trying to control his magic at that point.

"You have killed my friends, destroyed my home, and have hunted me across miles of tribal lands. I will meet the king, but only in battle!" Amose screamed as his right arm immediately burst into white flames.

Wendy took a step back, startled by this sudden display of power. Ren, Aerin, and Hikari could not see anything because they were staring straight up into the air, but they could certainly hear what was going on. Amose felt power surge into his body. The blacksmith's apprentice got onto his feet, his entire body engulfed in white flames. Amose's eyes were alive with fury as he stared at Wendy with murderous intent. The uncontrollable beast had awoken. The Fire Bound lived again. Wendy took steps backwards, trembling in fear at the sudden display of power. She had badly underestimated him! Amose smiled slowly, looking down at his right hand covered in white flames. He made a fist and looked at Wendy.

"You're nothing but a pawn to him. A pawn to be sacrificed for greater gains! A pawn to be sacrificed in flames!" roared Amose as he sent a column of white flame roaring towards Wendy.

The fire spread from his hand to his entire body, an entire wave of scorching white flame flying straight towards Wendy who didn't even have time to scream. The fire caught onto the fall grass and spread rapidly, the entire Long Grass Plains disappearing in a field of white fire. The white flame quickly disappeared from Amose's body after the fight. The blacksmith's apprentice stumbled backwards, falling to the ground. He stared up at the now night sky and he slowly closed his eyes. The world went black, Amose falling into a sea of darkness.

…

**?**

"She's going to be ok. She suffered a few burns, but we should be able to talk to her soon. It seems that your friend isn't a complete monster after all."

"He's not a monster. Try to understand what he's been through. His stress no doubt provoked this "Fire Bound" to awaken."

"Ah, yes, I apologize. I realize that he's an Ostian survivor. When he wakes up, we'll talk with the whole group."

"Thank you, Clan Leader Nanagear."

…

Amose had a nightmare when he was unconscious. He dreamed that he was back at the blacksmith's shop when the massacre happened. He was replaying the scene of the murder he had committed. The scene replayed over and over again, Amose's fear growing with each replay. Amose had not seen the soldier's face when he had killed him, but this time, he could see his face. The face haunted Amose. The soldier had flat blonde hair and blue eyes, staring at Amose as he smashed the hammer into the soldier's helmet. Then the scene suddenly switched over to his family. Amose screamed in terror as he watched himself burn their house down with his white flames. He dreamed of the massacre at the Tulgian settlement. He dreamed of the death of the colonel in a sea of white flame.

But Amose eventually woke up in a cold sweat. He bolted straight up in his bed, sweating. He put his hand up to his forehead and tried not to think about the nightmare he had. He soon realized that he was sitting in a bed in a room. It was a simple room with peach colored walls. A desk and a chair sat next to the bed and a wooden door was across the room. The room had a wooden floor and light came in through a window above the bed. The sun was high in the sky and Amose guessed that it was in the afternoon. He looked out the window and he realized that he was in city. Whatever building he was in was surrounded by an iron fence and looked over a large city. There were houses and shops that lined the cobblestone streets. Amose suddenly felt fear run through his body. What if he had been captured? Where were Ren and the others? What did the king exactly want with him?

Amose spent the next few minutes attempting to escape the room. The door was locked and the wood proved to be tough to break through without attracting attention. The window was made of glass, but breaking it would also attract attention and from the view of the city, he wasn't on the first floor. Amose decided to wait for the king's men to come and get him. He was afraid. He knew he was being actively hunted because of what had happened last night. Last night. He remembered what had happened. Was he a killer once again? He could have sworn he killed the colonel who was chasing after him. Amose's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone unlocking the door. Amose prepared for a soldier to enter the room. He clenched his fists and swore that he would not be taken to the king peacefully. These actions proved pointless when the door opened to reveal Hikari and Natsu.

Amose looked surprised. Hikari and Natsu were here too? Hikari and Natsu smiled at Amose and walked in.

"Amose, you feeling better today?" asked Natsu as Amose slowly nodded his head.

Once again, Amose was confused. Hikari laughed and tried to clear things up. Amose was no doubt confused about where he was and what had happened when he had blacked out. The light dragon slayer tried to fill him in on the details.

"You're safe, Amose. My paralysis wore off as Natsu and Gray came to the site. Don't worry, Gray is on our side now. Also, the colonel wasn't badly injured. She suffered a few burns, but nothing major. It looks like you managed to control the flames at the last second, directing them away from her," Hikari explained as Amose slowly nodded his head.

Natsu nodded his head. There was no doubt that Amose still had one more question to ask.

"You're probably wondering where we are," Natsu said, Amose nodding his head wordlessly, "Well, we are currently at the Salsbury Estate. Come on, we have a meeting with the clan leaders. We'll explain about the Salsbury Clan while we head to the meeting room."

…

Amose left the room with Hikari and Natsu. The estate was massive, almost as big as the Wizard's Palace. Hikari and Natsu had told him about the Salsbury Clan. It turns out that the Salsbury Clan was the only nation on the continent that could stand against Fiore. Their army was backed by powerful leaders from the South. It was a sanctuary for mages and their two leaders were supposedly powerful wizards. Hikari and Natsu told Amose that the Salsbury Clan hated Julius for killing their tribal trading partners.

The group eventually came to a set of double doors made of wood. The wood was a dark brown color and Hikari opened the door. Amose stepped inside, surprised how different the room was compared to the rest of the building. First of all, the room was dark aside from a few torches that hung on the wooden wall in front of them. The room was completely made of wooden logs and the floor was wooden as well. The room had no furniture and everyone in the room was sitting. Aerin and Ren were already sitting and smiled and waved to Amose when he came in. Gray rolled his eyes when Natsu gave him a grin and the colonel was sitting next to Gray. She didn't seem hurt at all besides a bandage that covered her forehead. Amose sat down next to Ren and Aerin and the blacksmith's apprentice noticed the two figures at the very back of the room.

The two were hard to see from the dim light, but Amose managed to make out a few features. The figure on the left had long spiky blonde hair. He was wearing skirt-like yellow and dark blue colored armor that left his right shoulder exposed. He had a red cloth tied around his waist. The figure on the right was incredibly muscular pale-skinned man. He had long light green hair that reached down below his shoulders and was arranged in a variety of spikes that jutted upwards. He wore nothing besides a black headband and black pants with a tiger patterned cloth tied around his waist.

"Hello and welcome to our humble home!" boomed the figure on the right, making Amose jump in surprise.

"I would like to welcome you to our estate. It is rare to receive a delegation from the tribes. Most of our communication with our tribal friends occurs during trading." said the figure on the left.

Natsu and Hikari nodded and smiled. They were truly indebted to the Salsbury Clan for sheltering them in this time of need.

"Thank you, Clan Leader Zancrow and Clan Leader Nanagear." said Hikari.

Amose and his friends observed the scene with interest. They had two leaders? If the rumor was true, they should be powerful mages. The figure on the right continued to speak in his booming voice.

"As for the concern with the massacres, we would love to engage the Army of Fiore in full battle, but I do not think that will be necessary. We have hired an assassin to take Julius down. We believe that if Julius dies, his regime will crumble with him." boomed Clan Leader Nanagear.

Everyone was surprised by this. An assassin had been sent to kill Julius? This was nothing new. Dozens of assassins had been sent to kill the tyrant king, but all had failed thanks to king's personal guards. Zancrow laughed at the surprise of the group.

"Do not worry, friends. This assassin is one of the very best. His magic protects him from any sort of physical harm. They call him, the Minstrel who sings to the Red Moon."

**Wizard's Palace, Julius' bedroom**

The pale moonlight shone in the private room of the tyrant king. Julius lay in his bed, asleep. The room was filled with expensive furniture and various treasures. A sword hung over the king's bed and the king was sleeping soundly. However, little did the king know that an assassin was waiting within the ventilation shafts. The assassin quickly undid the screws that held the ventilation shaft closed and silently slipped out. He was the infamous assassin, the Red Minstrel. He was wearing his trademark crimson mask with gold edges along with his matching hat.

The assassin slowly drew his curved knife and crept towards the king's bed, knife in his white gloved hand. The assassin raised his knife and was about plunge it into Julius' heart when the king's eyes shot open. The king quickly rolled out of the way as the assassin slammed his knife down into the bed where the king had been sleeping just a few seconds before.

"Guards!" shouted the king was he grabbed the knife from underneath the pillow as he stood in front of the window, trembling in fear as the door to the room was slammed open by Erza Scarlet and Michelle Ethelbert, members of the king's personal guard.

The two immediately held weapons in their hands when they saw the assassin in the room. The masked man smiled when he saw the two guards. Erza charged forward first, slashing across the assassin's chest. To her surprise, the assassin disappeared, reappearing in a different spot. The assassin smiled at Erza's frustration.

"Missed me," the assassin said tauntingly as Julius shouted for Michelle.

"Michelle, kill that man!" screeched Julius as the elite guardswoman in the black and gold robe ran towards the assassin, two black hilted swords in her hands.

"Protect his majesty!" she shouted as the two swords plunged into the assassin's chest.

The assassin disappeared again and reappeared right in front of the two guardswomen. The masked man held out his hand towards the personal guards and sighed.

"Memory Make: A Night of Falling Stars."

Erza and Michelle were instantly flying back into the wall of the room. The masked man smiled as the elite guards tried move, unable to because they were held down by shackles made of white light. The assassin faced the king who had on a bored expression, much different from the frightened expression from before.

"So you are Rufus Lohr, an assassin from the Salsbury Clan? They insult me by sending such weak assassins," jeered Julius as his left eye suddenly became clouded, "The Glass Eye!"

Rufus smirked as he picked up his knife. All magic was useless against him. After all, the images he left behind were simply a memory. The assassin walked right up to the king and stabbed the knife into Julius' body. Rufus smiled but then let out a cry of pain as he stepped back from the king. His body felt like it was cracking! Rufus' eyes were filled with disbelief as he looked at the king, his knife still in place. Blood stained the king's white robe and Julius sank to his knees but still smiled at Rufus' pain.

"B-but how could you have seen where I was really at? My Memory Make is flawless!" Rufus cried out as Julius stood up and grabbed Rufus, ignoring the pain from the stab wound.

Julius' sneered in Rufus' face as he looked into the would-be assassin's fearful eyes.

"My eyes are always watching," The king said darkly as several eyes appeared in the air, all looking in different directions. The king pulled Rufus in closer. "especially when I am sleeping!"

At that vicious remark, the king threw Rufus down into the ground, the assassin shattering into thousands of pieces of glass. Julius wiped his hands off and Erza immediately came running to see if Julius was ok. Rufus' magic had worn off when he had been killed. The wound was minor and guards began blocking off the room as Michelle secured the palace, looking for more assassins. Julius turned to look at the moon and smiled slowly.

"Get a slave to clean up that mess on the floor. Perhaps that slave, Lucy Heartfilia. I have much work to do."

…

The assassination attempt spread like wildfire. The soldiers were rallied and the entire capitol was in chaos. Amid the chaos, a meeting was called. All generals and those holding noble rank were to report to the palace courtyard. The courtyard was packed with people and it was still dark when the meeting took place. The courtyard was illuminated with torches and cast an eerie orange glow over everything the light touched. The courtyard of the palace was located directly in front of the doors into the palace and many were confused on why they had been sent to the courtyard. Their questions were soon answered as the doors to the palace slammed open and Julius came out into the courtyard with Erza and Michelle behind him. The king looked over the crowd and stopped at the top of the stairs.

"Many of you have heard of the assassination attempt. The assassin was clever, but not clever enough. Do you know who sent this assassin? It was the Salsbury Clan that sent the assassin to kill your beloved king! This is the last straw! We will eliminate the Salsbury Clan like we eliminated the tribal vermin! Kill every last one of them! I command you as Julius Silence, King of Fiore!" Julius screamed as everyone in the crowd knelt.

"Yes, your majesty!"

**I am still pretty sick but I felt like updating. I usually don't update on Sundays, but I don't have time tomorrow to update so I give you this chapter early. The plot really moves forward from here on out. I hope you guys enjoyed the AU characters in this chapter. It took me a while to get them into their roles. Also, Elite Guard and Personal Guard is the same thing. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review! Thanks! FF**


	6. Preparations

**So, this chapter gave me quite the headache and I originally had something written, but I deleted it because it was terrible compared to what I had in mind. As a story goes on, it gets more difficult to think of chapters. Personally, I think this is the low point of the story. Anyways, more AU character introduction and stuff. I hope you enjoy.**

_War had been declared. However, the confidence of the Army of Fiore stopped them from advancing as soon as the troops were mustered. They believed that the Salsbury Clan would crumble within the first battle. Meanwhile, Amose and his friends trained their skills. This war would decide everything. _

**Wizard's Palace, Ballroom**

Despite the declaration of war on the Salsbury Clan, the nobles were attending a ball in the palace. The entire ballroom was filled with nobles in tuxedoes and dresses, enjoying the ball. The nobles who were not dancing were usually found drinking expensive wine or talking to each other. The war was a very popular topic and Lord Elfman, an incredibly muscular man with spikey white wavy hair. He was speaking with a man smoking a pipe with brown hair with his eyes closed. The two were drinking wine and talking to each other while others danced in the huge room.

"It's a shame that we must wait before going into battle." sighed Lord Elfman as the man he was speaking to nodded his head.

"Yes, indeed. A good battle will get me back into the mood of fighting! I don't usually attend the fugitive hunting because I feel like it just doesn't have the same thrill." said the man as Elfman nodded.

"I understand your point, Lord Wakaba. However, you should have come along on the raids on the tribal savages. It's quite a lot of fun and it was the best thing I had done in a long time. I don't doubt that you'll be among the nobles during the war, but you should really come with us on hunting trips more often." laughed Elfman.

Lord Wakaba chuckled and took out his pipe and blew out the smoke. The coming war was certainly going to be fun. He looked over at the area where the many nobles were dancing and laughing. He looked back at Elfman and put his pipe back in his mouth.

"What about your sisters? Will they be participating in this war as well?" the nobleman asked as Elfman smiled and looked over where his sisters were dancing.

"Of course, they have been itching to get to fighting and it will be the perfect time to get Lisanna used to battle." replied Elfman as Wakaba nodded.

"Then we shall see each other on the battlefield. Let the spirit of this kingdom guide you." said Wakaba as Elfman bowed.

"And also you."

…

It was dark outside and the stars had once again come out to shine as Gildartz and Levy walked around the palace. They were wearing their military jackets and the spoke to each other as they walked. Gildartz had important issues in mind and he had been losing sleep because he simply couldn't face himself after the things he had done.

"Levy, do you think that his majesty has changed at all?" Gildartz asked as they went through the palace garden and stopped at wooden bench.

Levy looked at him and scoffed. She sat down on the bench and looked up at the towering ginger haired man. Gildartz was always asking strange questions. This was hardly the strangest he had asked.

"No, I really don't think so. His majesty has always been this way. You just think he's changed because you've fallen out of favor." teased Levy as Gildartz grunted and looked away.

Gildartz thought about what Levy had said. Maybe she was right. Julius had practically dismissed him as the general in command of most of the soldiers in the Fairy Tail Battalion and would not even hold an audience with him anymore. Had he thought the king had changed only because he was pushed away? The selfish part of him wanted to think that, but he remembered the massacres. He shook his head.

"No, his majesty has changed greatly. Levy, you must know that genocide is wrong. I-I feel like a traitor for even thinking this, but maybe his majesty isn't fit for the job anymore." said Gildartz in a low voice.

Levy's eyebrows rose at that. Gildartz thought that the king was no longer fit to rule? This was treason! However, Levy knew that Gildartz would never betray the king. So, she decided to tease him a bit more.

"Oh? You say that the king is not capable of doing his job and that he is leading this kingdom on the wrong path?" Levy asked, a hint of humor in his voice.

Gildartz gazed to the side and sighed. He had never had to experience these emotions before. Why now? Why against a man he had called his king? Gildartz looked back at Levy and sighed.

"No, it's just that his orders are getting harder and harder to follow. I don't think that these orders are right, especially the ones that started the genocide." explained Gildartz as Levy chuckled, the noise carrying in the old air of the night.

She looked Gildartz in the eye, mischief in her eye. Gildartz was certainly showing his softer side. His reputation as one of the toughest men to ever enter the military was certainly on the surface.

"Are you questioning his majesty's orders? That is treason, Gildartz," Levy said as Gildartz just sighed.

"I don't know anymore, Levy. I guess I'll just get some sleep for once. Just try to understand what I'm trying to say," Gildartz said to Levy as he turned to walk away.

Levy sighed and shook her head as Gildartz started to walk away.

"Yeah, yeah, I get you," she said as Gildartz disappeared into the night.

**Oak Town**

Like most cities in Fiore, Oak Town was a garbage dump. All wealth had been poured into Crocus and the remaining cities had rotted away. The cities were crowded with disease, crime, and beggars. Soldiers patrolled the cities tightly and beat down any resistance that tried to exist. It was nighttime in the city, and most of the city's inhabitants went to bars to drink after their work had finished.

The bars were always filled with drunks and thieves and were some of the filthiest buildings in the city. However, they were also the favorite spots of soldiers. It was just a usual night in the bars when suddenly the door to one of the local bars opened, two soldiers walking in. Nobody paid them any attention. They were regulars in the bar. One of the soldiers had bluish white hair that was hidden underneath his metal helmet and he had a chain necklace around his neck. The other had an armored mask on his face. The two sat down and ordered drinks when it happened.

The two soldiers were drinking peacefully when suddenly, somebody bumped into the one wearing the chain necklace. The soldier grew annoyed and pushed the man who had bumped into him. The man grew angry and faced up to the soldier.

"Hey, I just bumped into you!" he shouted, the soldier scoffing.

"Well, looks like you don't know your place in society. I'm not in a real good mood right now so I think I'll have my friend take care of you. Toby, kill him," the soldier said as his partner stood up, but hesitated.

"B-but, Lyon…"

"Do it, now."

The soldier drew his sword and ran forward, ready to swing his sword onto the man. The man growled and dodged out of the way, the sword hitting someone else. The bar had been alive with conversation at the time but when the innocent bystander fell to the ground dead, everyone stopped talking and stared at the two soldiers. The soldier named Lyon looked around at all the people in the bar staring at him and laughed.

"What are you looking at?" he asked cockily as everyone began standing up.

The entire bar started to attack the soldiers and pretty soon, a full scale fight was going on in the bar. More soldiers were called in, more people came and joined the side of the people in the bar, and eventually, it was a full on rebellion. People had grown tired of being stepped on and treated like trash. Fights broke out all over the city as battalions of soldiers were attacked by club wielding civilians. Entire squadrons were beat to death in fury and the news of the rebellion spread quickly. Entire cities began to riot, fighting against the tyranny that had stepped on them for so long. Meanwhile, a force was growing that the civilians could rally to.

**Salsbury Clan**

_Snap bang crack_

"Excellent! Nicely down, Aerin! Slow down, Ren, you'll tire yourself out! In battle, you must always keep a level head!" Hikari shouted as he watched the two training.

The two young mages had been training for hours under Hikari and the two showed great progress in their skills in the past days. They had to be ready to fight in case of another raid. The two seemed to be motivated because of this. Hikari knew how badly they wanted revenge. The light dragon slayer often wondered how their lives would have turned out if their tribe had not been raided.

As the two blasted away at wooden targets and large boulders, Hikari thought about what would happen if Julius was defeated. Who would be crowned king? Zancrow and Orga were certainly good choices. Another thing that was worrying him was Amose. He had been training with Zancrow for the past few days and he seemed to be getting better at controlling himself. However, Hikari was worried about Amose's stability. He had indeed killed someone, and he had come close to killing someone else. Would Amose be alright if sent into battle?

Last night had been very tense. Orga's right hand man, Laxus, had come back from the capitol with bad news. The assassination attempt had failed. Julius had declared war on the clan and he was slowly gathering his forces. Orga and Zancrow had ordered everyone to start preparing for war. Hikari sighed as Aerin destroyed another wooden target. But deep down, Hikari knew he had to face reality. None of them were prepared for this war. The best they could do was hope they were ready for when the fighting started.

…

"Now, try bringing the power into your arm. Control it. The Fire Bound is a creature within you. You must let it know that you are the one in charge." instructed Zancrow as Amose struggled to use his power without burning down the entire city.

To be honest, Amose didn't think he could control it. It was too strong. Amose closed his eyes and remembered the massacre at the Ostian settlement. He already felt the anger rising. He remembered the first person he had killed. His fear rose, his body starting to heat up. Then he saw it. He saw Macao and Romeo's face and then Amose lost it. He saw the flames rise up as his eyes shot open. The white flames that he was so afraid of were burning right in front of him, covering most of his body. The fire burned and hissed as Zancrow nodded his head slowly.

"You're almost there. I'm no expert on this stuff, but I know a lot about mythology. The Fire Bound were servants to the God of Fire when they walked the earth. They were proud people. The Fire Bound inside of you seems to respect you, but you need full control. Until then, I must ask you. Do you have what it takes to kill?" Zancrow asked seriously as Amose struggled to find an answer.

Kill another person. He had already done that. He didn't think he could kill anymore. He saw the flames slowly disappear as he calmed down. He was about to say no when he remembered what had caused the flames to appear. He slowly built the answer up and looked Zancrow in the eye.

"I have what it takes to avenge my people."

**A filler chapter for you to enjoy while I am gone. I may be posting over the weekend. Anyways, review if you liked it. I will be seeing you all later. FF**


	7. God vs The Crimson Empress

**The first week of three weeks of summer school has finished. Unfortunately, this is the only chapter you will be receiving this week :( However, I'll try to make it entertaining. I have some big fights planned. I didn't really expect this project to go this quickly. I sort of wanted the project to last until August, but it's only the first month since the project started and I'm already almost done!**

**Anyways, here's the chapter. I really don't know if you'll like it because I'm still pretty out of it thanks to summer school. Enjoy.**

"_Fire is a double edged sword. It creates and destroys. One should always approach fire carefully, no matter how small it is. There are many types of fire magic. Among the most famous types are Fire Dragon Slayer and God Slayer. Fire mages have also shown a strange personality. Their personalities are often two sided. A fire mage may appear to be calm when not engaging in battle, but they may become a psychotic killer during battle. This is because fire has two sides to it as well. Those who use magic often develop personalities similar to their type of magic. Controlling your personality is as important as controlling your magic." – Clan Leader Zancrow_

**Wizard's Palace**

Shattered glass and smashed pieces of wood littered the green carpet of the royal study. Books were thrown on the ground, lamps were overturned, and papers were shredded. It looked like someone had fought a battle within the room. The sun was slowly rising, a warm orange color. The warm sunlight went through the glass windows and the light illuminated a figure sitting in a chair, staring down into the scarred wood that had once been clean and glossy. The figure was a man, wearing the clothes that the king would have worn. He wore a crown made of bronze, and he was grabbing his head as if he had a headache.

The man growled in frustration as he gasped out loud and wheezed as he slowly pulled himself out of the wooden chair and collapsed on the floor, no doubt receiving several cuts from the glass. The man let out a roar of rage as he smashed his fist into the floor, his head jerked forward as he did so and the crown fell off the man's head, rolling across the littered floor and stopping at a pair of shoes. The man stared at the crown with insane eyes and slowly looked up. His eyes saw that it was a palace slave. She had blonde hair and had brown eyes, dressed in a plain white dress shirt and a black skirt. The palace slave retreated backwards, trembling as the man pulled himself up, staggering to his feet.

"Y-your majesty?" the slave asked, frightened by what she saw.

The king did not reply, simply laughing softly, speaking in words she could not understand. The king slowly pulled his head up to look the slave in the eyes. His eyes were filled with insanity and the slave had to cover her mouth not to scream as the king lurched forward and grabbed her, his face twisted in anger.

"Do you know how long I planned for this? Do you understand? I spent my whole life planning this!" Julius screamed, the slave trying to break free from his grip.

Julius quickly smashed the slave into a bookcase filled with torn books and shattered glass. His face was filled with despair and fear as he spoke, his voice rising.

"My life's work was ruined. Everything is ruined!" Julius screamed as he quickly shoved the slave against the doorframe.

The king turned to the large glass window that overlooked the capitol city and with a single glare, the window shattered into a thousand pieces. The slave quickly escaped during the king's distraction and the king turned to around to see Michelle standing before him. The elite guardswoman was dressed in her usual black and gold robe. Her big golden eyes were filled with worry as Julius glared at her. He pointed his finger at her and growled.

"You have sworn your complete obedience to me. Your loyalty is not in doubt. Now, as king, I order you to kill me!" Julius shouted as Michelle was struck with surprise.

Kill the king? Michelle backed away and Julius roared in frustration. Michelle had always believed the king was right, but now she didn't know. The king had clearly gone mad. Julius put his face in his palm and groaned.

"You have failed me. Your loyalty was put to the test and you failed. Go, you are no longer one of my elite guards. At least I have two others to depend on. You are dismissed and disgraced." groaned Julius as Michelle looked away and left the room silently.

As the guardswoman left, Julius stood in the middle of the destroyed room and thought hard about what had happened. Entire cities were rising up against him, the army was in disarray because of the uprisings, and nobody was truly loyal. Julius wanted to die. Time was running out. Soon, the civilians would overthrow him, cut off his head and hang his body upside down from the palace walls. Julius rubbed his neck as he thought. He looked down at the shards of glass and was tempted, but he turned away, suddenly seeing something else.

He could ride into battle, fight, and die as a king. However, Julius also saw something else. He saw himself acquiring power above all others, the power of a god. And with that, his mind was set. War would come, and he would sacrifice everything to get what he wanted. Using his army, he would lure Amose Keel to the capitol, and steal his power. Julius's breathing went back to normal as the king slowly smiled, looking around the ravaged room.

"After all, wasn't this my plan from the beginning? I overreacted and risked losing everything. Ugh, no, I need to focus. All I need is that power. With that power, I shall become a god. I will unite this world under my rule, and my place as a god will be solidified as people worship my name," mumbled Julius as he walked out of the room, leaning on the walls of the hallway for support, "They shall remember my name. Troops, prepare for war! Your god commands you!"

**Salsbury Estate**

"He's coming."

Orga groaned and scratched his head, looking at his most trusted warrior, Laxus. The muscular blonde had delivered very bad news to Orga. The Army of Fiore was on the march. The clan leader thought for a moment and sighed deeply. His thoughts brought him to Amose and the others. Were they ready for this war? The young mages were making great progress, but there were many powerful wizards in the Army of Fiore. Orga clenched his fist and nodded his head slowly. He could not afford to wait. They had to rush forward to meet Julius' challenge. Waiting for him was not an option. The clan leader faced his advisor and Laxus nodded his head. He knew what Orga wanted.

"I'll tell everyone to get ready. "

…

Gray shivered in excitement as he saw the huge groups of soldiers moving forward, called from their barracks. The dark blue haired ice mage was itching to start fighting and he looked behind him where Natsu and Hikari were talking. Gray sighed at the sight of the soldiers marching into the deep forests. They were in the very back, protected from any sort of attack. However, Gray suspected that they wouldn't be spending much of the battle in the rear. There were not many mages in the Salsbury Army, so they desperately needed Gray and the others to combat any mage they came across on the battlefield. Gray for one was ready to crush anyone who stood in his way.

Natsu had told him everything. Lucy had been killed, that flame idiot had gone and twisted the strange pocket watch, and he changed the world. It was early in the morning and Gray felt the cold air on his back as the soldiers passed, Zancrow and Orga reviewing them. They would meet up with the bulk of the soldiers on the border of Fiore. The troops looked fine, but Gray was thinking about last night's talk with Wendy.

Gray had actually found her outside at night, looking up at the stars. The two had a quick conversation about nothing in particular, but then Gray changed the subject to why Wendy decided to join them. She had told him everything. She was tribal, and unwilling to commit mass murder. She had opposed the cleansing from the start, and now, she could not go back. She was a traitor, but she would fight against those who ordered the killings of her people. Gray came back into reality when he suddenly felt someone shake him, the ice mage waking up from his slumber.

He had fallen asleep while thinking and they had arrived at the border. He was sitting on a horse that carried Natsu on it as well. Hordes of soldiers lined the border, facing off against the lines of soldiers loyal to the tyrant king on the other side. Gray looked around and saw Hikari and Wendy talking off to the side. Amose and the others were nowhere to be found. Zancrow and Orga were also missing. Gray felt his heart slam in his chest as he saw that he was standing on the edge of a battleground.

"Where did everyone else go?" he asked.

"They went to the frontlines. Zancrow and Orga told us to stay in the back for some reason. I don't plan on staying, do you?" asked Natsu in reply.

Gray frowned. Staying in the back was not a good idea to Gray. He wanted to fight! The ice mage let out a laugh.

"Yeah, let's head to the frontlines. Hikari and Wendy should come with us."

…

Gray watched in satisfaction as the generals in the enemy army appeared, sitting on their horses with perfect posture, the huge form of Gildartz among the soldiers. Zancrow and Orga stared out at the soldiers, ready to attack at a moment's notice. He looked over to where Amose and the others were. The blacksmith's apprentice was shivering in fear, but his two tribal friends seemed ready to fight. Their eyes were filled with anger and their clenched fists screamed vengeance. Gray smiled as he looked back at the enemy in front of him. Amose would be fine. Gray didn't have a true reason to fight, but he decided to adopt one anyways. He fought for the future.

Zancrow raised his hand, the soldiers drawing their swords, a sea of steel swords appearing behind him. Gray smirked as he watched the enemy draw their swords and raise their spears.

"Well, here we are. Natsu, I bet you're thinking about Lucy." teased Gray as Natsu smiled.

"You're right. Call me selfish, but I hope that when everything is ok, she will still be alive. But even if she isn't I'll honor her memory." replied Natsu as the enemies started to advance, the lines of soldiers running forward, screaming.

Gray nodded his head. It was time. He should have been frightened, but he wasn't. He understood how this was the best possible outcome.

"I used to think that this whole nightmare was the wrath of an angry god, but now I understand. A god is little more than a human being that has the ability to punish those without even thinking about it. Well, whatever the case, I'll enjoy helping this nightmare go away. You might be a complete flamebrain, but it will be fun fighting like old times." said Gray as Natsu and nodded.

"Charge!"

…

Amose screamed as he ran forward with his friends, a knife tucked into the sheath attached to his belt. Ren and Aerin seemed to be more confident, quickly tearing into the enemy, fury in their eyes. The soldiers stood no chance, torn apart by their magic. Amose tried to control his anger, but his magic took advantage of his fear. White flame blazed as it wiped out entire patches of soldiers, scorching the earth so badly that the burned earth broke apart like ashes. As Amose went on a rampage through the enemy soldiers, Ren and Aerin were surrounded on all sides by fighting. Soldier fell to the ground, screams filled the air, the ground seemed to be covered with bodies. Only the sound of a rough voice shouting was clearly heard.

"You'll be my next target! This is just like the tribal raids!"

Ren ducked as a man hopped off of his horse, landing on the ground, smirking at the two. He wore little armor and was muscular with white spiky hair. He seemed to be nobleman and another appeared, brown hair and eyes half open. Ren and Aerin glared at them, trembling in anger. One of the men had said something about tribal raids.

"What did you say? You enjoy the slaughter of innocents? We lost our whole families because of people like you! You'll get no mercy!" the two screamed as they charged forward, the two noblemen snorted.

"They're just savages! What damage can they possibly d-"

The nobleman with the brown hair slammed to the ground, Ren glaring as his fist connected with the nobleman's face. The noble with the white hair growled and quickly started to change, turning his arm into solid brick, surprising Ren. He was using magic! Aerin slammed her fist into the noble's changed arm and immediately she began to steal the energy from his magic, making it her own. The noble smashed his fist into Aerin, the Talgian sliding across the ground. Ren was about to call after her when he was hit by a column of smoke. Ren fell back to where Aerin had fallen and glared at the two nobles who were looking at them.

The one with the brown hair had put a pipe in his mouth and he smirked.

"So, we got some that can use magic, eh, Elfman?"

The noble named Elfman nodded and he made a fist with his changed arm, the bricks showing no sign of damage at all.

"That girl, she's a dangerous one. Let's just kill them both so we can get back to the real fighting, Wakaba." said Elfman as Wakaba nodded.

Ren looked over at Aerin who nodded her head. Ren sucked in a breath and stood up, Aerin following. Their anger was too strong to be easily defeated. Their power rocketed as the two noblemen attacked. Ren dodged the fist made of smoke and slammed his leg into Wakaba, sending the nobleman crashing to the ground. Aerin was trying to maneuver around Elfman, but it was difficult. No matter how much she tried to empty the nobleman's energy reserves by stealing his power, he kept coming. Aerin decided to take the offensive. She created several swords made from pure energy, holding two in her hands as Elfman charged forward, his fist ready to pound Aerin to dust.

"Die, savage!"

"Jagged Note."

Elfman felt something pierce through his arm and he staggered back, grabbing the arm made of brick. A large section of the arm had been blown off, leaving red brick pieces crumbling from the arm. Elfman glared at Ren as he smirked.

"You've underestimated me."

While Elfman was distracted, Aerin used her swords in the most effective way possible. She knew she could not be as effective as Ren when it came to defeating Elfman, but she could kill Wakaba! The noble was sneaking up on Ren when several swords slammed straight through his chest. The noble gaped at the swords sticking out of him and staggered backwards, falling dead in the field. Elfman grit his teeth and growled as he charged towards Ren.

Ren smiled as he watched Elfman charge forward. He wasn't very smart, and that would be his undoing. Ren aimed right for Elfman's heart and his eyes reflected his bitter hatred.

"This is for my tribe."

Noble blood dripped to the ground as Elfman took a few steps back, grabbing where Ren's attack had gone straight through him. The noble knelt on the ground, wheezing and coughing up blood. Aerin still had a sword made of pure energy in her hand, and she walked right up to the noble, and brought it down on his neck.

"That was for all the innocent people you killed, bastard." said Aerin as the two Talgians ran to join the battle again.

…

Zancrow grinned at his opponent. She was wearing red armor, a sword made of red steel by her side. Her hair gave her away. Erza, the Crimson Knight. She was the captain of Julius' Elite Guard. Erza stared at Zancrow with a blank expression. She raised her sword and smirked.

"So you are the famous Zancrow, one of the clan leaders. Your puny flames are no match for my Flame Empress Armor!" she roared as Zancrow let out a cackle as he let his demonic side take over, a ball of black flame forming in his hand.

"You are an empress of fire? An empress is nothing compared to a god. I will erase your pathetic existence with the flames of a god." smirked Zancrow.

"We'll see about that!"

**This was a weird chapter for me to write because of all the fighting happening between the fights and all the skips. I'm really excited to write the next chapter because that will reveal a lot more stuff. Also, a quick question, did anyone else feel disappointed when they read the newest chapter of Fairy Tail? I was very disappointed with Raven Tail's catastrophic failure. **

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and please review! FF**


	8. Traitor

**Thanks for all the support, everyone. It really helps me get these chapters. I apologize for not uploading a chapter last weekend. I was busy getting scared by playing Penumbra: Black Plague. Now, I have some bad news and good news. The bad news is that I will not be writing Fairy Tail stuff for a while after this story. The good news is that I am trying to go into other fandoms. I have a Soul Eater story planned and a few other things. But, things can change. I might decide to continue writing Fairy Tail stuff.**

**Anyways, here is the chapter. Enjoy.**

The sounds of battle echoed around Zancrow, filling his ears to the brim. Any normal mage would be distracted by this commotion, but Zancrow was no normal mage. He was a God Slayer. The clan leader looked at Erza with a cocky grin, certain that her pathetic armor would not protect her. A ball of black fire burned in his palm and Erza's challenge fueled the flames even more. She had fight, no doubt, but would she be able to defeat a slayer of gods? It was Zancrow that made the first move, sending the ball of black flame flying towards the guard captain.

"An empress can not defeat a god! Learn your place you imperial dog!" cackled Zancrow as the ball of flame impacted Erza directly, the guard captain disappearing in black fire.

Zancrow waited patiently for Erza to appear from the fire, but he was disappointed. The clan leader turned to walk away, but as he turned to do so, a sword struck the ground right in front of him. The god slayer took a few steps back, narrowing his eyes towards the inferno that was blazing right in front of him. The god slayer nearly fell over in surprise as the black flame started to disappear, Erza emerging from the flames, a sword with a flame design on it. Her face was dark, her eyes merciless as she glared at the god slayer.

"Looks like my aim was off this time, that gives you a slight chance of surviving this battle," the guard captain growled as hundreds of swords appeared around her, aimed directly at Zancrow's body, "Oh, and never walk away from me."

Zancrow reacted, but not quickly enough. The swords moved with incredible speed, striking every position Zancrow could reach. The swords ploughed into the clan leader's armor to no effect, but one sword hit him in the shoulder. Erza smiled as Zancrow let out an angry scream as the sword fell to the ground. Blood dripped to the ground as Zancrow took his hand away from the wound, looking at his own red blood. His hands tightened into fists and Zancrow smirked as Erza held her flame patterned sword to protect herself from whatever was coming.

"A god's wrath knows no bounds! Your pathetic attempt to harm a slayer of gods has failed! Fire God's Fury!"

The sword shrieked with every blow to its metal blade. Erza was skillfully blocking Zancrow's flaming fists, but the incredible force made every blow rattle Erza's body. The famous guard captain counter by flinging the god slayer away and then aiming the sword straight at Zancrow. Erza's eyes reflected her feeling of victory. This was checkmate.

"This is where it all ends, savage! Empress Flame!" Erza roared as flame burst from the sword tip, crashing towards Zancrow.

The god slayer looked up at the wave of fire rushing towards him and smiled. This was the biggest mistake Erza had made. The Flame Empress Armor may protect her from most attacks, but Zancrow knew exactly what to do as the wave of flame smashed into him. The guard captain watched as the fire crackled everywhere, holding her sword completely still in case there was need for another wave of fire.

"Well, this is a surprise for you, isn't it, Erza?"

The guard captain's eyes widened as she watched her flame being sucked straight into Zancrow's mouth. The god slayer finished up the last of the fire and sighed happily. Erza was completely dumfounded. He had eaten fire! Zancrow cracked his knuckles and snickered as Erza held her sword back up to block any attacks. The god slayer's eyes were filled with glee and hate as he looked at Erza with completely open eyes.

"You call that your trump card? That was pathetic, Erza. I am a Fire God Slayer! I can eat any kind of fire thrown at me! Your puny Empress Flame can not hurt me in any way!" shouted Zancrow as he blasted towards Erza with two huge jaws made of black flame.

Erza gritted her teeth as she rushed forward to meet Zancrow in direct combat. The guard captain was sweating under the intense heat, but she kept her calm. The huge jaws were about to close in on Erza when the guard captain ducked, the jaws slamming together underneath her. In the split second that Zancrow was distracted, she saw the opening. Her sword rammed forward straight into Zancrow's unprotected shoulder, the god slayer howling in pain as Erza plunged the sword into the clan leader's shoulder and then withdrew it, jumping backwards in time to avoid being turned to ashes by Zancrow's flame.

Zancrow fell to the ground, screaming in pain as blood poured from his wound and onto the already bloody ground. What was worse, Erza had activated her Empress Flame at the moment when the blade entered his body. The result was a horrible burn mark across his entire exposed shoulder, smoldering and blackened. Erza planted her sword into the ground, watching Zancrow writhe in agony. She was going to let him suffer a bit more and then put him out of his misery. Lying there, on the bloody grass, Zancrow's wrath reached its peak. It was a pure legend, but it had been observed in dragon slayers.

The legend said that slayers had the ability to transform themselves into whatever they slew. A dragon slayer activated Dragon Force, and now, Zancrow stood, fists clenched and blazing with black fire. The scorching black flame covered his entire body as Zancrow slowly stood, no longer screaming in agony. The flames scorched whatever it touched, and the clan leader glared at Erza.

"You thought you won, didn't you? You thought that using your power as the guard captain would guarantee you victory. You've always fought those who were weaker than you. It's time to get serious. I will give you a challenge that will test your true skill! Divine Force, Fire God's Bellow!" screamed Zancrow as the black fire shot forward in a large column, scorching the ground and everything around it.

The heat was so intense that Erza saw that her sword was starting to melt. Erza's face was hard as she faced the flames, never once letting her brave face disappear. Even in the face of certain death, Erza smiled. She had learned that an empress was no match for a god. Despite the fact that by the time Erza started to run into the column of black flame her sword was a soupy mess of iron, she held the dripping sword high over her head. She ignored all fear and pain and shouted as she ran into the column of flame, head held high.

"Long live the king!"

…

Orga was fighting at least ten soldiers at once. The clan leader held out a single hand and all ten soldiers were fried at once, turning into smoldering crisps. The black lightning arced upwards and disappeared in a flash. The clan leader was about to move onto another group of soldiers when suddenly a bolt of lightning scorched the ground in front of him.

"I've waited for this moment for a long time, Orga."

The clan leader sighed and turned around, knowing who he would face. There was only one other person with a lightning ability. He turned to see the face of his once right hand man, Laxus. The blonde haired lightning dragon slayer was grinning as lightning sparked from his hands. Orga sighed in sadness, knowing this battle would end in the death of himself, Laxus, or a combination of the two.

"I just have a single question to ask you, Laxus. Why did you decide to become a traitor?" Orga asked as Laxus smirked.

"You're an idiot. I never 'decided' to become a traitor. I was with them from the beginning! Lightning Dragon's Roar!"

Orga dodged the blast of lightning with ease, dodging straight into Laxus' electrified fists. The first fist smashed straight into Orga's face, sending the clan leader spinning onto the bloody ground. Orga coughed up blood as he slowly stood, cursing himself for trusting Laxus. Orga wiped the blood away and Laxus smiled as he moved with incredible speed, fists ready.

"Lightning Dragon's Wing Attack!" shouted Laxus as he smashed his arm straight into Orga as he passed by.

However, the clan leader grabbed Laxus' arm and twisted it, making the traitor scream in pain as he was swung onto the ground. Orga looked down at Laxus and his face was sad. The clan leader crossed his hands and aimed it straight at Laxus.

"I'm sorry it had to end this way. 120mm Black Lightning Cannon!"

The shot of black lightning went straight into Laxus, an explosion happening, creating a crater. The shot devastated the land, the entire battle stopping for a few seconds because of the incredible force of the blast. Orga took a step back when he saw something glint from the smoke that was billowing out of the crater. It was a lightning bolt that was stuck in the ground, electricity discharging from the bolt. Orga's eyes widened when he realized what it was. The clan leader dodged out of the way as the bolt exploded into several arcs of electricity. Orga brushed himself off as he stood up from the ground. Orga jerked back, taking a hit to the face from Laxus as he appeared out of the billowing smoke. The lightning dragon slayer's clothes were torn from the hit he had taken, but he appeared to be alright besides a slight limp and cuts and bruises all over his body. He grabbed Orga's neck and lifted the clan leader into the air, smirking as he did so.

"You had some nice tricks, Orga, but I don't you were really stronger than me. In any case, I'll still rem-"

Laxus let out a string of unintelligible words as Orga pulled out the dagger made of black electricity. Orga grabbed Laxus' body as blood poured out of the lightning dragon slayer's neck. The clan leader held him over the crater that he had created and Orga's eyes were filled with anger.

"You forgot everything I taught you. You were cocky, stupid, and most of all, weak. You tried to disguise your weakness with words of hate. You let your guard down long enough to gloat about how you were the strongest. Die a horrible death, traitor." growled Orga as he dropped the lightning dragon slayer into the crater, Laxus disappearing into the huge hole.

The clan leader walked away, taking down more soldiers as he went. It was time for this war to end. Julius would die. Dethrone tyranny!

**I hope you guys liked the two fights in this chapter. I apologize for the wait. Also, be on the lookout for a possible SE story coming up this week or maybe even today. I have an idea going on so I think I will be writing within the SE fandom soon as well. Review if you liked it and I will be seeing you later! FF**


	9. For King and Country

**Sorry I didn't update at all since last week. I was really busy, but summer school is going to be ending soon! Yay! Also, I am sad to say that this is the second to last chapter. Here's the chapter. Enjoy.**

Julius watched the battle with keen interest. It had been a surprising turn of events for him and he enjoyed seeing two sides fight against each other for dominance. The king stood with many of his generals, a few choosing to fight the battle themselves. He had ordered his elite body guard to fight the battle and they had left, Julius watching with interest as they were eventually eliminated.

Emotion did not cross through Julius's mind as he watched his elite body guard go down, killed by the Salsbury Clan Leaders. Their service had been of great value, but Julius owed them nothing. The king simply nodded his head as Laxus fell into the abyss that he had helped create. Even with people dying to protect him and to extend his influence, Julius only thought about the power that lay within the battlefield.

"Your service to the crown will not be forgotten, however, I can do nothing to help you." said the king emotionlessly as he watched Laxus disappear into the crater.

The king turned his towards the middle of the battlefield. He had caught sight of two nobles being killed by some tribal savages, but he could see nothing besides the bodies of the two pitiful nobles. The battle was fierce, but it was nothing Gildartz's Concrete Squadron could not handle. Currently, the general's forces were breaking straight through Salsbury lines, crushing the enemies like ants. Suddenly, he saw a flash of white, the king's eyes widening as he saw the figure making his way towards Gildartz. It was Amose Keel!

The king shuddered with excitement as he watched Amose get closer and closer to Gildartz's position, any soldier who came into contact with the sizzling flames dying a fiery death. Suddenly, something caught his eye. It was a black and gold robe making its way towards Gildartz. Julius narrowed his eyes, realizing who it was. It was the disgraced elite guard member, Michelle. The king shrugged his shoulders as he saw that the elite guard member was speaking to Gildartz as they fought. It did not matter to Julius as long as Amose was brought to him. He pointed at the sparks of white fire that were appearing in the battlefield.

"There is a boy that possesses rare fire magic. I want him brought to me, alive," he said as the generals nodded.

"Yes, my lord."

…

"Michelle, what are you doing here?" Gildartz asked casually as he disassembled several Salsbury soldiers at once, their cubic remains dropping to the ground with a splat.

The disgraced elite guard member skewered a clansman with a spear with a cast iron dragon and fire insignia placed at the throat of the spear.

"I swore my life to protect his majesty. Even if I am disgraced, I will hold that oath,' she said seriously as Gildartz nodded his head and dodged a sword thrust.

"I know what you're saying, but tell me that I'm not the only one to notice that the king has changed." sighed the old general as he smashed his fist into an enemy's helmet.

The elite guards woman nodded. She pushed a soldier away with the shaft of the spear and smashed the end of the spear into the soldier's helmet.

"You are right about that. I don't think the king is in the right mind, but I will defend him!" Michelle shouted as the two soldiers jumped into action, taking down several Salsbury soldiers while Gildartz's soldiers moved up.

The soldiers were making a steady advance through the enemy's central line, but the advance was stopped in its tracks when a jet of white flame roasted several soldiers, all of the soldiers of the Concrete Squadron turning to look at what had happened. They saw someone moving closer to them, body covered in white flames. The soldiers were struck with the feeling of pure dread as they saw the expression of the one who carried the white flames. It was one of pure rage and the soldiers turned and ran.

"You slaughtered my friends! There will be no mercy! You can not escape!" roared Amose as he sent the white flames washing over the groups of soldiers, turning them to ash within seconds.

Gildartz was stunned by this and Michelle raised her spear and got ready to fight. Amose turned his attention towards the two elite fighters. White flame scorched the ground where he stood and Gildartz tightened his fist, trying to figure out how strong this boy was. Michelle was shocked by the arrival of the white flamed boy, remembering what Julius had told her about the secret mission. He had wanted a boy who could create white flames with his body.

"Disassembly Magic! For King and Country!" roared Gildartz as he charged forward, fists open to disassemble Amose.

The general's hands grabbed onto Amose's arm, the general smiling triumphantly, but then twisting in pain. Amose swiftly smashed his fist into Gildartz's stomach, sending the general flying back. Gildartz had a hard landing, the fist had damaged Gildartz severely and the white fire had burned him heavily. The general was about to stand up, but the elite guards woman stopped him. Her face was determined as she raised her spear.

Amose looked at Michelle, his body out of control. He felt like he was being roasted in the flames of hell and the blacksmith's apprentice knew that he wasn't acting on his own. There was something influencing him. Something was controlling him. The flames burned out of control and Amose watched Michelle charge forward. The flames appeared in Amose's hand and he flinched slightly, knowing that it would cause harm. However, whatever was controlling him made him appear to be a behemoth of power, not afraid of anything.

The spear stabbed straight into Amose's left shoulder, missing his heart by a few inches. The monster that was Amose Keel screamed in pain, not protected by the spear's sharp steel point. The spear was unaffected by the flame and Amose tumbled to the ground as Michelle pulled the spear out, watching as Amose struggled to stand.

"**You are no immortal. The Fire Bound were servants to the Goddess of Fire. Your power is incredible, but your wounds will never heal while in this state. Your time is running out, Keel."**

The words of whatever was controlling him made Amose stand up, grabbing the wound. His eyes were no longer filled with hate, but with the desire to give his tribe peace of mind. Michelle went in for another attack, her spear spewing flames as she charged forward. The fire stung Amose, remembering that the Fire Bound were no immortal warriors and felt pain for whatever attack that hit them. He ducked under the blade, the steel blade barely catching his shoulder. He took the spear in his hands and wrenched it from Michelle's grasp, fueled by adrenaline. The fist smashed into Michelle hard and the elite guards woman let out a cry of pain as she fell back and landed next to Gildartz. Amose struggled to find his true self as the white flames disappeared. The blacksmith's apprentice looked at the two elite fighters and sighed.

"I know your hearts were in the right place. You knew the king was corrupted, but could not speak out. I am sorry. I am sorry you had to see the monster that dwelled within me!" the boy shouted as he fled into the mass of struggling soldiers, leaving the two soldiers behind.

…

"Your majesty, the enemies are getting through our lines! At this rate, you'll be in danger!" shouted General Levy as she looked at the battlefield.

Julius growled in frustration, looking down at the field with angry eyes. They had failed! The king gave Levy a nod and the general signaled for a retreat. All soldiers that supported Julius turned and ran, the Salsbury clan giving chase. As Julius was escorted away, he knew that he would have to face Amose in his own territory. It would a very, very sweet reward.

**Sorry for the real short second to last chapter. I was pressed on time. I probably won't be updating all that much this week so sorry. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this short chapter and I will see you all later. FF**


	10. Resolution

**Here is the final chapter guys! I really hope you enjoy this final chapter! Also, good news! I will keep writing Fairy Tail stories! My Soul Eater fic will probably be updated today, so stay tuned! Anyways, here is the last chapter! Enjoy!**

_Fiore was falling apart. Entire cities were rioting against Julius's oppressive rule. Soldiers were deserting or joining the civilians in the riots. Fiore was in total anarchy and few soldiers remained loyal to the king. Salsbury forces marched into cities, greeted by thousands of civilians and former soldiers. The main force was headed for the capitol, Crocus. Julius had cornered himself within the huge palace, and the king's days were numbered. _

_Meanwhile, Amose and the others were heading towards the palace, ready to end the king's rule forever. However, Natsu was thinking about something else. He was thinking about Lucy and the world that had been. He knew that only a god could undo the work of a god, but the fire dragon slayer kept hoping that someone could possibly change things. This was not the life people were supposed to live. Natsu had told everyone that this world was false, but there was no way to reverse it. Was there a way to do it in the palace? There was only one way to find out._

**Wizard's Palace**

A massive Salsbury force stood in front of the huge gates of the Wizard's Palace. The famous palace still held its beauty even in dark times. Zancrow and Orga were in front of the force, talking to the gatekeepers. Amose watched with anxious eyes as the gate slowly opened, the gatekeepers surrendering to the Salsbury forces. He looked over to see Ren and Aerin smiling. He could understand why they were excited. They had lost their whole tribe. But, why didn't Amose feel this way? The Fire Bound questioned himself as the forces moved into the courtyard.

The courtyard was eerily quiet. It was usually busy with people walking through it, but it was completely deserted aside from the bodies of soldiers lying on the ground. Zancrow and Orga glanced at the bodies and a grim look appeared on their faces. They wore Fiorian uniforms and many of them were missing heads or other limbs.

"He's getting desperate. He probably thought these soldiers were not loyal enough." said Orga grimly as he gestured to the bodies strewn around the courtyard.

The force continued moving, Amose trying not to look at the bodies. They came in front of the massive double doors made of solid wood with gold plates attached. Orga nodded to Zancrow and the god slayer quickly destroyed the doors with a single blast of black fire. The force rushed into the castle, Zancrow shouting orders.

"Search every room! Kill anyone who resists! If you find Julius, bring him alive!" shouted the god slayer as soldiers ran through every room, searching for the king.

Zancrow and Orga led Amose and the others through the palace, heading straight for the throne room. The thudding of horses could be heard as the group of mages rode through the palace. They ran through the beautiful halls, observing how normal the palace looked. It was as if someone had frozen the palace when the anarchy began. Amose felt a little sad while looking at the inside of the palace. However, Natsu was excited. He remembered what the monk had told him. Lucy was supposed to be a slave, so where better than here? She had to be here! The fire dragon slayer's determination was strong as the group finally arrived at the throne room's doors. The group got off their horses and Zancrow grabbed the handle of the throne room doors. He looked back at everyone else.

"This is i-"

Before Zancrow could finish his sentence, the walls exploded, sending everyone flying back. Through the dust, the two god slayers could see two figures. They stepped out of the dust and they looked down at the group of Salsbury mages. One was a woman, long curly blonde hair and wearing a white flowing dress. The other was a man, jet black hair, wearing a black robe with golden designs and a white sash covering most of his body. His eyes were as black as coal.

"I am Zeref, the head wizard." said the man, Orga and Zancrow slowly standing up.

"I am his apprentice, Mavis Vermillion." said the woman, smiling at the group.

The two god slayers smiled as they stood and faced the two mages. They were no doubt stronger than the elite guard and Orga cracked his knuckles and Zancrow cackled as black flame appeared in his hands. The fire god slayer looked back at the group and grinned.

"You go on ahead, we'll take these clowns." said the clan leader confidently as Natsu nodded and the group ran towards the throne room doors.

Zeref glared as he pointed one finger at the group.

"Death Mag-"

"Where are you looking, the enemy is here!"

A blast of fire and lightning created a blast that slammed Natsu and the others into the doors. The wind and dust died down and they saw that Orga and Zancrow had blasted themselves through the wall. Zeref and Mavis were gone with them, and Natsu and Gray grabbed the door handles. They nodded to each other. Hikari put his hands on the doors and the three pushed them, the doors opening into the huge main hall.

The group entered, and they gasped at what they saw. Julius sat in his throne, looking at the group as they entered. However, what was more distracting was the woman standing in front of the group. She was wearing light armor and was accompanied by two other soldiers. However, she also had another woman with her. She was a palace slave with blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes. Natsu froze when he realized who it was and what was going on. It was Lucy!

The palace slave had a knife pointed at her neck and the blue haired woman grinned. Amose almost let out a roar when he realized who it was. He had seen her before! It was the woman that led the attack on his tribe! General Levy! Amose seethed in anger, but he controlled himself. The woman smirked at the group and brought the knife closer to Lucy's neck.

"Take another step, and I will kill this girl. You wouldn't want an innocent civilian to die, would you?" sneered Levy as the group froze in place.

Natsu, Gray, Wendy, and Hikari were frozen. Amose, Ren, and Aerin were also frozen, but for a different reason. They didn't want innocents to die. Levy knew she had complete control, so she nodded to the two soldiers next to her. They charged forward, spears at the ready. She saw that the group was getting ready to defend themselves and smirked.

"If you move, the girl dies." she said evilly as the spears entered Gray and Wendy's body, the two falling to the ground, grabbing their wounds.

Natsu and the others went to help their friends and Natsu glared at Levy, wanting to tear her apart, but not wanting to hurt Lucy. His one love was there, but he couldn't save her. This was just like the murder all over again. Gray and Wendy's wounds were bad, but they were ok. Natsu and Hikari quickly bandaged them up and the two barely stood, trying to keep the blood from emptying from their bodies. Levy smirked as she saw the group stare at her.

"You are no longer useful to me."

The general suddenly stiffened, and then the knife hit the floor, clanging as it touched the ground. Her grip on Lucy loosened and the general fell to the ground, dead. Her blood blended in with the red carpet, and the two soldiers looked surprised until they shattered into a thousand glass pieces. Julius held the sword that killed Levy and looked at the blood before looking at Amose.

"Well, here I am. I stand before you, Fire Bound. I killed your tribe, I killed your friends, I killed your family. It is your right to kill me and get revenge. It would be the ultimate victory. A peasant kills a king." said Julius as Amose stepped forward, fists clenched.

His anger was getting the better of him again. Natsu and Gray tried to talk to him but he shrugged them off. Ren and Aerin tried to talk him out of it, but he ignored their words. Only Hikari remained silent as Amose stepped forward to challenge Julius. The light dragon slayer's memories were jumbled, but he knew Amose had to do this. Julius was a dead man either way. Amose glared at Julius.

"You thought you were doing things for the good of others, right?" Amose asked as Julius laughed.

"Do you really think that you are somehow different than me? No, you're wrong. We are exactly the same. We each did things to achieve selfish goals. You wanted revenge, so you selfishly stole lives from others. I wanted power, so I selfishly stole the lives of those who trusted me to lead them. You're not different, Amose. The only difference is that you are a dirty peasant, and I am a god." spat Julius as Amose slowly smiled.

He had remembered what Natsu had told him. Only a god could undo the work of another god. Amose understood what had to be done now. He had to sacrifice his own strength for the good of others. Amose smiled at the king.

"If you are a god, then take my power. There is no point in fighting it anymore." sighed Amose as Julius grinned.

"You did the smart thing, Amose. Your power will go to good use." smiled Julius as his eyes became pure black and stared into Amose's soul.

Natsu and the others shouted in protest, but to no avail. The group could literally see Amose's soul being torn from his body, and Julius laughed triumphantly as he stepped back.

"I am a god! You are dirty peasants that will burn in the flames of wrath! Pre-"

The sword in Julius's hand was suddenly yanked out and then rammed straight through his heart. Julius's mouth moved, trying to form words, but nothing came out. Amose grinned as the king looked at Amose in horror. He was alive!

"Too bad you didn't do enough research. The Fire Bound is a soul in itself. You failed to kill me, even if you stole my power. You underestimated me, Julius. Now, you will pay for your crimes!" roared Amose as he pulled the sword out, watching Julius fall to the ground, the blood pouring out of his chest.

The king gurgled as he slowly died and Amose fell backwards, staring up at the throne room ceiling as his friends crowded around him, all trying to get him to stand. Amose was tired. He watched as a figure appeared in the ceiling, It was a young boy wearing a black robe and a black crown. He had one red eye and one blue eye. He smiled at Amose.

"**Huh, looks like I've been outclassed. I like your style, kid."**

Amose smiled as Natsu looked down at him, unable to hear anything around him.

"This is not the life we were supposed to live, is it, Natsu?"

…

_A horrible shrieking sound was heard across the land. Trees twisted and turned and entire buildings crumbled. Everyone immediately blacked out. When they woke from their slumber, things had changed. Life was better for everyone. However, for Amose, life did not improve. The individual named "Amose Keel" was never supposed to have existed._

…

Natsu's eyes slammed open and the fire dragon slayer looked around where he had woken up. He realized that he had woken up in Lucy's house! He got up off the floor and looked around. He was surprised to see Lucy sleeping in her bed. The sunlight was coming in through the windows and Natsu realized that it was in the afternoon. The fire dragon slayer was about to head to the guild when he heard something smash downstairs.

"Hey, there's some cool stuff here!"

"Whoa, this is worth a lot of money!"

"Alright you idiots, get everything of value packed up! If anyone comes down here, stab 'em!"

"Got it, boss!"

Natsu's eyes narrowed. Thieves. The fire dragon slayer went down the stairs slowly and finally arrived in the living room where the thieves were busy stealing everything. The entire room was a mess. Everything was lying on the ground and pillows had been torn open. Trash was thrown all over the ground and boxes were ripped open. Suddenly one of the thieves noticed Natsu. He looked up and glared at the fire dragon slayer. The other two thieves looked at Natsu and brought out their knives. Natsu gave them a look of pure hatred.

"Thieves, eh? I'll blow you guys away with a single blow. Fire Dragon's Roar!"

…

**That's the end! I just wanted to say thanks to everyone that stuck with the story! It was a lot of fun to write! Anyways, now that this story is over, I can finally work on Dragon Myth again! I'm sorry that I haven't been as active with that story. I was just really busy with this one and other stories. I hope you liked the story! FF**


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